The In Between Series 9 - Life is One Big Gamble
by NeedtoKnow
Summary: Continuation of a Series of stories that fit "In Between" episodes that were aired so that things can be better explained/explored. This story is set in between "Sudden Death" & "The Long Christmas Eve." A female Russian Spy who is very familiar with the agency is in the US to help transport illegal weapons & drugs to Russia. Can Lee & his helper stop her in time? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1 - A Day Off

**Disclaimer - "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" are copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is for entertainment only. I will not make any money off it but do hope that at least some people will enjoy it. The Characters are not mine; I only took them out to play with them for a while so they could help me tell the story. All the credit goes to Bruce and Kate and their wonderful supporting staff for portraying these wonderful characters so well that so many of us still love them so much today. The additional characters and this story are mine.**

 **A/N #1 – For those who are familiar with my In Between Series, you know that I accomplish two things with them. First, I try to fill in all the holes that were missing from the aired version. Then Amanda and Lee help me tell what happened in between the aired episodes. Since I meld them into the series like they really were aired (because we know that Amanda and Lee are real so the stories really do exist), I will be using references from them in future stories. I think that it might be difficult for you to understand some of the characters if you are not reading my past stories as I am going to begin using some of the past into my current stories. Since I don't want to bore my readers who do read my stories, I will not be explaining that history so hopefully you will read my past stories so you understand. Thanks again for all your support.**

 **A/N #2 Sudden Death's storyline has something wrong that drives me nuts. The timing is wrong. All wrong. Sunday was supposed to be when the game was played. Saturday was the final practice before the big game. The original plan was to kill Bela on Sunday during the game but when he runs off, they decide to do it on Saturday during practice BUT if you watch the scene with Billy and Lee in Billy's office after Bela takes off, Billy is on the phone with someone telling them that he is fully aware that it is Saturday night ONLY it's not Saturday night if you use the timeline, it is actually Friday night. That is reaffirmed when Lazlo is in Crandall's office as Phil is driving them up the wall with banging nuts as Lazlo states that he can't wait for Sunday's game, he wants Bela taken out the next day instead in practice. SOOOOOO, we are going to chalk it up to Billy being tired and getting his night wrong and go with Bela running on Friday NOT Saturday cause even I can't explain how Saturday can be two days back to back. Did you follow that ramble? Hopefully you did so just sit back and listen to the expanded version of Sudden death followed by a new story.**

 **Chapter 1 - A Day Off**

Lee had gone back to his apartment after leaving the gym the day he and Amanda caught Rostov and Dirk and found that his answering machine was flashing. He pushed the play button and heard Billy's voice say "Lee, you did a great job getting Rostov. I contacted President Reagan and he is thrilled that we have him back in custody. He was disappointed to hear about Dirk but is glad that you were able to gather enough evidence to lock him away for a very long time. As a thank you from us to you and because I know you didn't get your vacation; I'm giving you tomorrow off with pay. It won't count towards your vacation time at all. I really wish I could give you longer but I have a new case and I need you on it by Thursday. We'll talk about giving you more time after that case is solved. Get some rest and I'll see you at 5am on Thursday morning.

Lee turned off the machine and chuckled. Time off for most people meant a week or two but not Lee Stetson. Billy knew that if Lee wasn't kept busy, he would get into trouble so giving him a day off was usually enough to let Lee unwind a bit without having him do something rash. Lee wondered what he could do with only 1 day off. Since his vacation had to be canceled when Amanda was kidnapped, he hadn't planned on any time off so now he needed to come up with something that he would enjoy for just 1 day. Since it was during the week, it would be unlikely to find any female companionship to join him especially on such short notice. Then it dawned on him. There was one place that he had been neglecting. He had always tried to visit it once a week but it seemed that since that fateful day that he met Amanda; life had been so crazy that he hadn't had any time to go out there. He would spend part of the day tomorrow at one of his favorite places; Birchwood.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2 - Robots Will Take Over

**Chapter 2 - Robots will Take Over**

Lee had slept peacefully and found that he was wide awake at 7 am that Wednesday morning. He got up, took a shower while singing and then after getting dressed he headed to his car. Along the way he stopped at the florist and picked up some flowers for his favorite lady friends. He soon arrived at Birchwood and gathered up all the flowers and headed inside. He found most of the residents were still taking their time finishing breakfast while someone announced his arrival by yelling "Lee, where have you been?"

Lee smiled and said "Hi everyone. I'm sorry that I've been away so long. I know I normally come every week but that boss of mine has kept me so busy. I brought all of you flowers to help make up for being away." Lee gave each of the ladies a bouquet of flowers.

Glynis gave Lee a huge hug and said "that's okay. We just miss you when you stay away. The flowers are beautiful Lee but you didn't have to do that."

"Lee, I had to find other homes for all the bread and pastries that we baked for you the last few weeks. I was really hoping you would come today though so we spent some time baking up new items yesterday. Come with me young man so we can share them with you."

"LEE! I thought I heard your voice. Oh, I have to talk to you Lee." Rupert said as he came from the TV room. "I have been waiting for you to show up. We have trouble Lee. Big Trouble!"

"I know Rupert but I have to go with the ladies for right now. Why don't you go back and finish watching your tv show and I'll be out shortly."

"Okay Lee, but we need to talk."

"We will Rupert. I promise."

Lee went with the ladies to the kitchen and they proceeded to pile basket upon basket of bread items into his arms. He always accepted whatever they gave to him, kept a small amount for himself and then dropped the rest off at a homeless shelter so that none of it would go to waste. He had a lovely chat with the ladies as they tried to pry out of him about his latest assignments. They knew he would never tell them but they enjoyed trying. He spent most of the morning with them and they insisted he stay for lunch. During lunch Rupert caught up with him again. "Lee, can we talk now?"

"Sure Rupert, what do you want to talk about?"

"Lee, we have trouble. Did you hear how they intend to sell this facility?"

"Now Rupert, don't you think I would know about that if it was true?"

"It's a big secret Lee. They don't want anyone to know because they are going to make it into a testing facility."

"What are they going to test?"

"They have decided that we don't need people to take care of us so they are substituting all the humans for robots. Lee, this place is going to be completely run by robots soon."

"Where did you hear that Rupert?"

"I heard it from a man who heard it from another man who heard it from one of the laundry maids. She's scared of losing her job."

"Well Rupert, I will check around for you, okay?"

"You do that Lee. I don't want a robot taking care of me."

Lee excused himself and went back to the others. "Well it was fun but I need to get going."

"Okay Lee but please don't be a stranger. You know we miss you when you stay away so long." Lois said.

"I know I know. Besides Christmas is right around the corner and since I missed Lois's homemade Cranberry bread, I need to make sure I come for some of her Christmas cookies." Lee said with a smile and his dimples showing.

"You always flatter me." Lois gave Lee a hug and then Glynis did too and he waved as he headed back to his car. After quickly sorting out the bread, he headed to the homeless shelter nearby. As soon as Amy saw him coming, she waved and said "You must have visited your friends. We haven't seen you for a couple of months and wondered if you were okay. The people have been asking about the fresh baked goods that we normally have." She said as she smiled.

"Yeah, work has kept me busy. Hey Amy, would you want to go out to the movies with me tonight?"

"I wish I could but I think my boyfriend would have a problem with that." Amy laughed.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had a boyfriend. Well he is a lucky man. If he ever messes up, I want first dibs, okay?"

"Sounds like a good deal to me." Amy said as she blushed. Lee said goodbye and got back into his car. In the end, he headed to Monk's for a drink. A couple of other agents had already made their way there but Lee just waved to them and took a seat at the bar. One of the bar maids came up and said "Hey stranger. I haven't seen you in here for a few days and now you come in alone. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just came in for a quick drink."

"Your usual?"

"Yes, please." In no time she had the drink in front of him and hurried off to other customers. As Lee sat sipping on his drink, his mind wandered back to the last case. He shook his head as he thought about how brave Amanda had been through it all. She was almost kidnapped several times, almost shot, almost shipped to Russia in a Refrigerator box and almost sexually assaulted but she still came out smiling and wanting to continue. He hoped that his talk with her had encouraged her to leave all this behind though. He didn't want to admit it, but he was going to miss her. Working with Amanda was different than working with anyone else. She was untrained and didn't follow any kind of normal procedure but somehow her instincts seemed to always lead her in the right direction. He had actually enjoyed working with her. Maybe a little too much which was why he was glad he had cut the ties now before he got any closer to her. He didn't need to go to her Funeral like the day he had to go to Eric's. Lee drained the glass, threw down some money onto the bar and headed out. He wasn't really ready to go back to his empty apartment yet though.

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3 - The New Manager

**Chapter 3 - The New Manager**

Amanda was so excited that Billy had given her the agency tapes so she could begin learning. She waited until her family left and then popped the first one into her cassette player. It was one that explained about taking good notes especially before an assignment and how important it was to understand what your assignment was. Since Amanda had taken shorthand in college, she could write notes pretty quickly so she was sure this would be one of the easier things to master. After the tape completed, she sat thinking about the case. She felt bad that those men would be sent away to prison for their whole life. She couldn't imagine how their loved ones would feel. Then it dawned on her; Dirk's son Paul. How was he handling all of this? Amanda gathered her purse and headed out the door to her car. She quickly drove to Burrito World and found Paul standing at the counter while staring out the window. She entered the restaurant and walked up to him. He finally shifted his gaze to her and looked surprised to see her there.

"What do you want? Haven't you done enough damage already?"

"Paul, I know you are probably angry with me but I'm not sure you know what you father did and why he had to go to jail."

"I know what he did. He betrayed this country. He told me that he isn't from here. That he came here just before I was born and that he has hated it here this whole time. Look lady, I'm not really mad at you, I'm mad at him. How could he do all those things and not care about what would happen to me?"

"Paul, I think he did care and that is why he got you this job. Sure it was convenient for him to have you here but he could have worked something else out. Instead he got you full time employment and Jerry to look after you. He did the best he could under the circumstances."

Jerry walked in the room at that moment and said "I agree with Mrs. King. Paul, you are not your father. You will always have a spot here and I will continue to try to take care of you the best I can. I know you aren't my son and I can only imagine what you are feeling right now. You've been a loyal employee. I want to reward you for that and hope that by making you the manager of this location; that it will give you the incentive to make this the best place ever. It will come with a raise, a place to live and a decent car to drive. As long as you do the best job you can, it will be yours. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Wow, I don't know what to say. Thank you Jerry. I accept. Mrs. King, thank you for your kindness and kind words too. Please give your partner my thanks also, okay?"

"I will Paul. I'm going to check back now and then to make sure you are doing a good job too. I want to see this place soar in profits."

"It will, I promise" Paul said. Amanda gave him a quick hug and then hugged Jerry and quietly slipped out the door while smiling. She always loved when things had a happy ending. The world needed more happy endings.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4 - A Drive in the Country

**Chapter 4 - A Drive in the Country**

Lee was bored and wasn't ready to go back to an empty apartment so he decided to take a drive in the country. It was good to get out of the city and drive along the winding roads. It gave him time to think too. He loved working for the agency and with Christmas coming up soon, he knew he would be the one volunteering for duty as always. He had to because he didn't have any family and the others did. He didn't mind working on Christmas as he would usually have to spend the time alone if he didn't. In fact when there wasn't anything to work on, he would go in to catch up on paperwork. It wasn't unusual for him to suddenly pile a stack of completed cases on Billy's desk for him to find the day after Christmas. It seemed to bother Billy that Lee was alone on Christmas but Lee always refused Billy's invitation to come spend it with Billy and Jeannie. No one needed him to be tagging along and he certainly didn't need anyone to feel sorry for him. He had survived all these years without a family on Christmas, he sure wasn't about to let it bother him now. He knew that others had spouses and kids to go home to though and that was why it was good that he could volunteer in their place and let them spend the time with their loved ones. At one point, he had tried to find female companionship for Christmas Eve and Christmas day but that usually didn't turn out well since they expected expensive gifts and most thought it meant that he wanted more than just a night of passion. The last thing he needed was for some chick to think he was ready to marry her just because he spent Christmas with her. It was rare for him to invite anyone to his apartment for Christmas these days. He usually would stop at a restaurant on Christmas Eve and have a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. He would leave a nice tip to thank the people who had to work and then head home to his quiet apartment. Lee would enjoy a few glasses of Scotch which would help him go to sleep. The next morning he would get up and go to the office for the morning and then make his way home. The agency played Christmas music all day but he would have preferred not to have to listen to it. As he would drive home, the streets would be lit up with Christmas decorations and would be eerily empty. Lee would arrive home; get the Guacamole Dip out of his fridge that he had made the night before, along with the nicely chilled bottle of Dom Perignon 73 and head for his couch. After setting everything down on the coffee table, he would turn on the tv so he could watch the football games. His Uncle would usually call him at some point and Lee would wish him a Merry Christmas and then tell him that he had to go before his Uncle could begin any of his famous lectures. Christmas was just another day. It could be a long day but it would eventually end and the next day was the 26th.

Lee had been driving for a few hours and finally decided to head back to the city. As he got closer to his apartment, he noticed his gas tank was almost empty so he went to the gas station. Rhonda was working and said "I was hoping you would show up soon."

"What's the word Rhonda?"

"It seems that there might be some trouble brewing." She said.

"OH?"

"Yeah, ever hear of someone by the name of Larisa Yudin?"

"Yes, I heard she was in the area and setting herself up as available for hire. What do you know?"

"It looks like she might have gotten a job."

"Doing what Rhonda?"

"I'm not sure yet, but word has it that she is involved with Miguel Hernandez."

"Isn't that a Mexican Drug Lord?" Lee asked.

"That's him. It looks like there is a good chance that he has found his way into the US."

"That really is bad trouble if it is true. Can you keep an ear out and let me know if you hear anything else?"

"Of course Lee. Make sure you need gas a little more often though, okay?"

"Yeah." Lee said with a smile. 'Thanks Rhonda. I owe you."

"Yes you do." Rhonda laughed as she put his gas cap back on and held out her hand. Lee laughed as he handed her a $20 bill and told her to keep the change. He got into the Porsche and headed for home. He wondered if this had anything to do with the new assignment that Billy had for him. If not, he needed to let Billy know because Larisa was bad news and would soon be involved in something bad if she wasn't already.

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5 - The New Assignment

**Chapter 5 - The New Assignment**

Lee wasn't able to sleep well that night as he wondered what Miguel and Larisa were cooking up. If a Mexican Drug Lord was hiring a Russian Operative; well it just couldn't be good news. He was so hyped up that it was no problem for him to be out of his apartment shortly before 5am. As he walked into the Bullpen, he was met by Francine. "Well hello Lee. Did you enjoy your time off?"

"As a matter of fact, I did Francine. Thanks for asking." Lee said as he walked by her. She stared at his back while wondering what that meant. She realized that people were watching her so she put her head up high and headed back to her desk.

Lee went to Billy's office and knocked. "Come in" Billy's gruff voice yelled out.

Lee walked in to find Billy's desk loaded with documents. "What's going on Billy?"

"Lee! Good to see you. I'm glad you are here, sorry I couldn't give you more time off. . Sit down, we need to talk."

"It's Okay Billy, it was nice to have one day off though. What's going on?"

"You have heard of the Pioneers Football team, haven't you?" Billy asked.

"Of course, hasn't everyone?"

"Well then you also know that John Crandall owns them. Recently we had a nervous phone call from the new kicker. He told us that he has seen Crandall meeting with Ernst Lazlo."

"Ernst Lazlo is here? What's he up to now?"

"Well it seems that Mr. Crandall has a small fortune stashed away in Leichtenstein due to the current tax laws which allow for a tax haven for these types of men. Bela, the kicker is from Leichenstein and is worried that Lazlo might recognize him and order his execution to keep him from talking."

"Why is Lazlo here?" Lee asked.

"Well the Prime Minister of Leichentstein is visiting this country in a few days and since he has vowed to change the tax laws, there is a good chance that Lazlo is here to assassinate him."

"Wow, so this Bela can be trusted?"

"Yes, he seems to be very nervous but there is no reason for him to lie. He has agreed to share as much information as he can with us if we keep him safe. That means that I need a man inside and that man is you."

"Me? How do I get inside?"

"We have set up a profile for you to be a new recruit named Sandy Newcombe. Sandy is trying out for the team. He's been playing football in the Yukon and wants to join an American team. The training camp has been in operation for a week already so you are entering late but we were able to convince them to let you try out since you are a highly sought player. Now I need you to hurry up and get there so you can have breakfast with the team. They will be having practice shortly afterward and Bela wants to meet you before that practice out by the bleachers. Hopefully he can shed light on this whole thing and we can capture Lazlo. One thing though Lee, you won't be able to leave training camp. They are really strict with their rules and there won't be any way for you to communicate with us. That makes it difficult. I think the best way around that will be to send in a messenger of some sort. I'll figure it out though."

"Okay Billy. The messenger should be able to pose as a reporter."

"That's what I was thinking too. You think you can pull off being a football player?"

"Sure, you know I used to play football back when I was in college. I loved it. I'm sure this will be fun."

"Yeah, well don't have too much fun; we have an important job to do."

"You got it boss." Lee said with a wink. "I will be sure to tell the cheerleaders that I'm too busy to play right now."

"LEE! Get out of here." Billy said with a chuckle.

As Lee was leaving, Billy yelled for Francine to come into his office. He filled her in with what was going on. Francine said "Okay, I can be the messenger."

"No, I have someone else in mind for that job."

"Who Billy?" Francine asked.

Billy smiled at Francine and she groaned. "I thought Lee convinced her to leave the agency."

Billy laughed and said "When did anyone start listening to Lee?"

 **TBC**


	6. Chapter 6 -Thursday Morning in Arlington

**Chapter 6 - Thursday Morning in Arlington**

Thursday morning was busy at 4247 Maplewood Drive. Since December was well under way, school was starting to prepare for Christmas parties and pageants and of course dances. Phillip was excited to be going to the Christmas Dance at school and had been trying to figure out who he should ask. His head was in the clouds as he came down the stairs to see what was for breakfast.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Amanda asked him when she noticed that he didn't seem to be watching where he was going. Sure enough, he missed the last step and fell onto the floor. Jamie raced by him and said "You are still thinking about who to take to the dance aren't you? You should watch where you are going."

"Shut up Wormbrain" Phillip yelled at Jamie.

Amanda scolded "Phillip, do not tell your brother to shut up and don't call him a wormbrain."

"Sorry mom" Phillip said. He got up and went into the kitchen. Dotty placed bowls of cereal in front of them both and then set the gallon of milk on the counter so they could add their own.

"When is the dance?" Amanda asked.

"In two weeks. Mom, who should I ask? I really want to ask Tiffany but she likes the jocks so she probably won't go with me. I could ask Cindy; she's a lot of fun but she's not that pretty. Angela would probably say yes but she talks too much."

"Well Phillip, that's a hard decision. Why don't you ask a girl that you really want to go out with. It shouldn't matter if they are pretty or not. Beauty after all is in the eye of the beholder and what is in her heart."

Phillip set listening to Amanda and said "Okay Mommy. I think I understand. Thanks." The boys gave her a quick hug as they raced to the bus.

Amanda shook her head as she watched them go. Dotty said "Oh to be young again. Are you and Dean going out tonight?"

"No, he is still away but he should be back sometime this weekend. I promised to go Christmas shopping with him for the boys."

"That's nice dear. Well I'm going to go to our weekly Bridge game. Do you want to come?"

"No Mother, I have a lot to do around the house. Go have fun."

"Okay Dear. I'll see you tonight."

Amanda began gathering kitchen towels up so she could wash them. As she headed to the laundry room, she heard the phone ring and she rushed back to answer it.

"Oh good Mrs. King; I caught you. I was wondering if you could come to the agency immediately. I have a new assignment for you."

"Sure, will Lee be there."

"Not for this meeting. I'll explain when you get here. I'm sorry for such short notice."

"That's okay Sir, I'm on my way. Thank you Sir."

"See you soon Mrs. King."

"Bye Mr. Melrose."

Amanda was so excited. A new assignment meant that she really was still being asked to help the agency. Hopefully Lee wouldn't be too angry for her not quitting the agency. She wondered what the assignment was since Lee wasn't going to be there. She hadn't worked with anyone else. She really enjoyed working with Lee. Maybe he refused to work with her anymore. The thought made her sad. Well the only way she was going to find out was to get changed and get to the agency. She shook her head and hurried upstairs to grab a shower.

 **TBC**


	7. Chapter 7 - Training Camp

**Chapter 7 - Training Camp**

Lee arrived at the training camp, found his room and stowed his luggage away. He then made it down to breakfast and began looking for Bela. He wasn't sure exactly what Bela looked like but he noticed a fidgety man staring at him as he pretended to eat his breakfast. Lee never ate breakfast but he knew that the coach would be upset if he didn't eat so he pulled the food all apart and made it look like he had eaten. He did enjoy a mug of coffee and then pretended to accidentally dump the last of it on his food. He jumped up and brought the whole thing over to the trash can and dumped in. After putting the tray on the cart to be washed, he walked out to the bleachers and sat down. A few moments later the man he had noticed came out and sat down on the bleacher in front of him.

"Are you Sandy?" He asked.

"Yeah, are you Bela?"

"Yeah. I'm scared. They trashed my room last night and threatened me. Can you protect me?"

"I'm sure going to try. I understand that you saw Lazlo meeting with Crandall."

"Yes."

"Okay, well you can't let on that you know me. Let me know if you see any signs of Lazlo. In the meantime, we better get back to our rooms and get ready for practice."

"I'm scared. I hope that the USA Government racan keep Lazlo from killing me. I doubt I would look good dead."

"We will take care of you Bela. Just pretend that nothing has changed though, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Bela got up and headed to his room. Lee continued sitting for a few minutes to let him go on ahead and then got up to follow. This man was definitely scared and had good reason to be.

 **TBC**


	8. Chapter 8 - Dealing with Disappointment

**Chapter 8 - Dealing with Disappointment**

Amanda rushed into the agency and Billy waved her into his office. Francine was already there. She was so excited that Billy was already enlisting her help again after their talk. She was determined to show him that she had begun the lessons from the cassettes by taking good notes of this new assignment. That all fell apart when he began talking about things that she had no idea what they were or how to spell them. When Billy described that Lee was posing as a football player, Amanda couldn't help but be concerned. After all Lee wasn't a young guy anymore and football was a rough sport. Her son Phillip had been begging to play for awhile now and Amanda kept coming up with excuses why he couldn't because she was worried about him getting hurt while playing. Meanwhile Francine couldn't resist getting her digs in by calling Amanda just a messenger but Amanda was beginning to learn to ignore her. Billy had gotten all the things that Amanda would need to pretend to be a reporter including a camera, a press badge, and a profile set up with the Washington Blaze just in case anyone checked into her story. He gave her the address to the training camp and sent her on her way explaining that Bela was supposed to make contact with Lee earlier so Lee might already have information for her.

Amanda arrived and made her way to the player's locker room. She had joined up with other members of the press and noticed right away that they were all men. As they continued into the locker room, Amanda was concerned about walking in and finding a bunch of naked men. She stood against a wall and poked her head around a corner expecting the worse and instead, she was met by a short guy who seemed really nice. He introduced himself as Bela and then asked her out. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she had a boyfriend already. He seemed like such a nice man and wanted to take her bowling. As she was trying to figure out a way to decline his offer without hurting his feelings, he suddenly said he had to go as he looked scared. Amanda looked to see what had caught his eye and saw 2 men leaving the locker room area. She wondered who they were and why Bela seemed scared of them. She shrugged it off and continued into the locker room where she was stopped by two men. They were both pretty full of themselves and not very nice about "Sandy." and boy did they reek. It was good they were heading to the showers. Amanda wasn't impressed especially after one of them shoved her to prove his point. They had a lot to learn about how to be nice to women. Actually most of them did as they made comments to her as she finished making her way to where Lee was sitting on a bench nursing his knee. Amanda had tried to prepare herself the whole way over to the training camp on how Lee was going to react when he saw her. He had been so sure he had convinced her to quit the agency that she knew he wouldn't be happy. She still wasn't totally prepared for the look of disappointment on his face when he saw her. She knew he was not happy with her for going against his wishes and it did hurt her feelings that he reacted so badly but she shrugged all of that off when she realized he was in such pain. She offered to help him take off his shoulder pads but his macho attitude got in the way and he refused help and hurt himself while taking them off. Since he was going to be so stubborn, Amanda decided that she would just play her part so she asked him if he had any news he wanted brought back to Billy. He quickly filled her in on Bela's late night visitors and explained why they would want to harm Bela. Lee told her that he planned to get into Crandall's office to see if he could learn anything more. As they were talking, the coach interrupted them and Lee had to get up to prove that he could walk just fine. After the coach told him to hit the shower, Lee nearly collapsed back onto the bench, looked at Amanda and laughed a bit embarrassed that she was seeing him a little vulnerable.  
"Okay, you tell Billy that he and I will chat about you after this assignment but for now, I guess it is okay for you to continue since being my messenger should be fairly safe. Come back tonight around 11pm and wait outside the window on the south lawn. I'll call for you after I check out Crandall's office, okay?" Lee said.

"Sure" Amanda agreed. She left the locker room so he could go and shower. As she drove back to the agency, she couldn't help but be relieved that Lee hadn't ordered her off the case. She was a little hurt that he had called her a Messenger like Francine though.

 **TBC**


	9. Chapter 9 - Hit the Shower

**Chapter 9 - Hit the Shower**

Lee knew that he had been hurt while on cases before but at the moment, he couldn't remember ever hurting this bad. These young jocks seemed determined to knock him out of this game and they found every reason to slam him to the ground over and over again. The men had fun taunting him the entire time as they continued to knock him down. Finally the coach called the practice to a close and told them to hit the showers. Lee made his way back to the locker room and found a spot away from the other men. He was trying to find a way to take his knee brace off without causing more pain when he heard it; he thought he was imagining it at first but she kept talking and he knew that he recognized that raspy voice from anywhere. What the hell was Amanda doing there? Did they not decide that she would quit the agency? He couldn't help his reaction when she confirmed that she was the messenger that Billy found to communicate with Lee. He was going to have a long talk with Billy because he could only assume that he put her up to this. As he continued to complain about her being there, he realized by the look of her face that he was hurting her feelings and this was not the place to continue this discussion anyway. Besides, he was in pain and when Lee Stetson was in pain, he wasn't a lot of fun to be around. As he tried to take off his shoulder pads, Amanda showed her normal motherly concern and tried to help. He sure didn't need the guys walking by and seeing that so he told her he was perfectly capable of taking them off himself but he heard things pop as he did so. He reached to take off his shoes and more things popped. Amanda asked him what the message was for Billy. Lee straightened up and told her what he had found out from Bela so far. He needed to get into Crandall's office and at this point; he needed Amanda to help him get information to the agency so he asked her to meet him by the south lawn window. Crandall's office was located just down the hallway from it. She agreed to be there around 11pm. Lee figured that if he went during bed check then the coach would be busy and it would give him time to get into the office, give Amanda any information he found and maybe even make it back to bed before the coach got to his room. This assignment was pretty safe for Amanda so he decided that it was okay for her to work with him but he did intend to have a long talk with Billy when the case was over. The coach came by and teased him about spending too much time with the ladies and Lee went into his acting mode and put a big smile on his face while gently squeezing Amanda's arm and introducing her as a reporter for the Washington Blaze. The coach wasn't impressed and asked him if he could walk. It took all that Lee had to get up and do a convincing walk in front of him. The coach told him to hit the showers and then left. Lee went to sit back down and almost felt like he was going to pass out. This was ridiculous that Amanda was seeing him like this. He didn't like her seeing his vulnerable side and he let out an embarrassed laugh as he collapsed onto the bench. She left him alone then and he had to struggle to take off his shoes and then his shirt.

After stripping down to just his boxers, Lee walked into the showers where most of the guys were just finishing up. As he let his boxers drop to the floor and stepped into the shower, Phil walked up behind him and said "Oh look, Pretty boy made it into the shower. Well I'm glad that I got to see you naked. At least now I know you aren't a girl hiding in that uniform. Though I don't know; Bobby do you think you damaged him?"

"What do you mean Phil?"

"Well he seems awful small to me. Maybe you broke part of him off when you hit him that last time." Phil said as he blatantly stared at Lee's private area.

"Come on guys. Can't a guy take a shower?" Lee yelled.

"Yeah, come on Phil. We've teased him enough for one day." Bobby said. Bobby grabbed Phil's arm and pulled him out of the shower area. Lee shook his head as he watched them go. He really didn't remember playing with players in the past who liked to be so mean. Well this assignment would be over soon enough and then he could go play a different game. He was pretty sure that Nanci wouldn't mind the size of him at all. She never had in the past.

 **TBC**


	10. Chapter 10 - Enjoying Your Work

**Chapter 10 - Enjoying Your Work**

Amanda had made it back to the agency and filled Billy in on what Lee had found out. She also mentioned that Lee was upset with Billy for his part in her still being part of the agency. Billy's eyes twinkled as he listened to her go on about how he seemed so disappointed. After she was finished Billy said "Amanda, he will be just fine. He'll get over it. Trust me. Now why don't you go home and enjoy your family since he needs you to be there late tonight, okay?"

"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir." Amanda got up and started to leave Billy's office. She turned before she walked out the door and said "Sir, do you think that Lee will ever accept me working for the agency? I mean Sir; I really enjoy working here and I enjoy working with him. I don't want to have to start every case with him being unhappy about being paired with me. Maybe I should work with someone else."

"Mrs. King, I assure you that if I were to pair you with someone else, Lee would be a lot unhappier. Stop worrying about it. It will be fine."

"Okay, Sir. Thank you Sir." Amanda said as she left.

She spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the house and then greeted her boys when they got home. Both of them were excited to see that she was home but soon begged to go to the park to play ball with the guys. Amanda agreed as long as they were home by 6pm. She had prepared her famous Meatloaf for dinner and was just taking it out when Dotty and the boys rushed in. "Right on time" She remarked and then said "Everyone go get washed up for dinner, it's ready."

They sat down to a nice dinner that was kept busy with the boys chatter. The boys went up to their rooms afterward to do their homework. Dotty told Amanda that she wasn't feeling well and was going to go to bed early. Amanda took the quiet time to work on paying some of the household bills until it was time to leave for the training camp. She left a note on the counter for her Mother that said she had to go take care of a sick dog.

Amanda arrived at the training camp just after 10:30 and waited outside the window that Lee had asked her to. It was cold standing there and she hoped he wouldn't take too long. Thankfully right around 11pm, she heard Lee call for her. She popped up in the window and startled him. It was fun to do that to him for a change. He handed her the film from his camera and told her to get it back to the agency so that crypto could check it out. She couldn't understand what could possibly be important about a football play and questioned him about it. He insisted that it was important and she said "What do I know? I'm just an assistant agent" and he corrected her by calling her an "apprentice agent." She called him a "purist" but was glad that again he seemed to be accepting her being there. As they were wrapping up their discussion, the coach suddenly appeared yelling for Newcombe. Lee grabbed Amanda and began kissing her in a forceful manner. She always thought that these covers were supposed to be faked but this kiss was real. Amanda was startled by the suddenness of it and tried to break it off but Lee stopped long enough to tell her not to move. She had never had a man kiss her like that. It was gentle but yet forceful at the same time and by the time Amanda let herself begin to enjoy it, Lee broke it off. Her hands had instinctively reached out to touch his arms but when he stopped kissing her, they went back to the window sill and she found herself reeling from the kiss so she grasped the sill until her hands were nearly white. Lee stood smiling very smugly at her and told her that he hoped she got what she came for. She couldn't believe that he seemed to be enjoying what he had done to her and that was when she realized that she was clutching the window sill a little tightly and abruptly pulled her hand away from it. The coach had come from behind them and asked her if she enjoyed her work. She replied "Yes, very much." Lee looked even more smug at her words as he clearly took them to mean that she had enjoyed the kiss. Well she would have enjoyed it more if she had known he was going to do it. As she was driving the film to the agency, she kept replaying the kiss in her mind while trying to sort out her feelings. She touched her finger to her lips as she remembered the electrical current that had passed between them as he kissed her. She couldn't help but think about what it would be like to really kiss Lee Stetson. She couldn't remember ever having that kind of feeling from just kissing a man before; definitely not with Dean. Well it didn't matter because Lee only did it as a cover. It wasn't like he had any kind of reaction from the kiss other than to be proud of himself for getting to kiss her. A playboy like Lee was used to kissing all kinds of women. Amanda was sure he hadn't been affected by the kiss at all. She sure wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of ever talking about it.

 **TBC**


	11. Chapter 11 - What Just Happened?

**Chapter 11 - What Just Happened?**

After his shower, Lee had gone back to his room. His whole body ached and he needed to get things under control if he was going to be able to complete this assignment. He used some deep medicated rub ointment and smeared it all over his body. It felt really good and suddenly he felt tired so he laid down and took a nap. A short while later; he heard the men heading to lunch so he got up and dressed in different clothes and went to join them. He noticed that Bela was sitting by himself in the corner and seemed to be nervous as always. Lee went through the line and was given his tray of something that resembled Spaghetti and sat down a few tables away from him. As he was eating his food, Phil suddenly came up and shoved his head into the spaghetti. This man was really pissing him off and he got up to fight him when he saw the coach enter the room. He couldn't afford to be tossed out so he shook it off and sat back down to finish his lunch. One day he was going to make that boy pay for being a jerk to him. Now was not that time though.

After lunch, Lee went back to his room. Since they were not allowed to have tv's in their rooms, he laid on his bed and tried to concentrate on reading. He found that his thoughts wandered to Amanda. He couldn't help but be impressed that she still insisted on being part of the agency. He was so sure after their last case when she was almost sexually assaulted, that she would call it quits. She didn't though and even came back against his wishes. He wasn't sure if he had ever met a woman quite like her but he sure wasn't ready to tell her that. As he lay thinking about her, he drifted off to sleep. At one point, he awoke to noises outside his room and when he went to investigate; he found Phil outside his door with spray paint ready to write something. When Phil saw Lee, he took off running. Since it was nearly dinner time Lee headed to the cafeteria. He was the first one there so he took a table near the back and waited for the rest to come in. They soon began gathering and collecting their trays of food. Phil and Bobby came in and as they were standing in line; Phil pointed at Lee and Bobby shook his head. It was obvious that Bobby didn't agree with the way that Phil was acting. Lee couldn't help but wonder if Phil had a hard time making friends so that was why he had to be a bully. Considering the way he treated people, it wasn't hard to understand why he didn't make friends easily. Lee waited for Phil to get through the line and sit down and then he went to get his food. Dinner consisted of a pork chop with rice and vegetables and what appeared to be applesauce. He wondered how football players could eat crap like this all the time. He could have really gone for a steak right about now. As he sat down, he noticed that Bela had entered the cafeteria, glanced at Lee and then made his way to get his food. There had been no sign of Laslo so far. Lee kept an eye on Bela during dinner and then followed him out of the cafeteria. Lee motioned him to follow him and they went outside. After making sure they weren't followed, Lee asked Bela if he had anything new to report. Bela was extremely nervous and kept looking around like he was being watched. He told Lee that he didn't know what he was talking about and that he needed to go. Lee watched in amazement as Bela walked away from him. It was frustrating that he now seemed to be ending his communication with him.

Lee went back to his room and did some more exercises to try to help work out the kinks in his sore muscles while he waited until about 10:30pm. Since curfew was set for 10pm, Lee figured that it was safe to leave his room. He made his way down to Crandall's office and nearly missed running into someone who was leaving it. Since he hurried up the stairs and hid, he had no idea who was there. After he was sure they were gone, he went to the office, used his lock pick and made his way inside. Lee took a look at the items on the desk and wasn't finding much until he opened a desk drawer and found a football play. It didn't look like a normal play; something wasn't quite right with it. He took out his camera to take a picture of it but needed more light, Since he didn't have any flash cubes for his camera; he moved the silly fish sculpture that Crandall had on the desk and used the light from the desk lamp. He took some quick pictures of the play and then put everything back the way it was.

He locked the office door and stepped out into the hallway and advanced to the window. He hoped that Amanda had done as he asked and waited for him there. As he opened the window and called to her, she suddenly popped up in front of him and startled him. He gave her the film and after arguing a bit about her position at the agency, she finally agreed to take it back and get it analyzed. As she was getting ready to go, Lee heard the coach calling his name. He did the only thing at the moment that made sense; he grabbed hold of Amanda and began kissing her. He could tell that she was startled by his action and at first she fought him so he told her not to move and then continued the kiss. He should have just pretended to kiss her since his back was to the coach and he wouldn't have been able to tell. For some reason; he chose to really kiss her. He hadn't really wanted to stop. When he did finally let her go, he looked at her in shock, he hadn't expected to enjoy kissing her but he did. In fact, he had never kissed anyone and had that kind of affect before. He knew the coach was right there though so he snapped out of his trance and asked her if she was all set. The coach asked her if she enjoyed her work and she told him "Very much" which Lee couldn't help but feel smug because he was sure that she really meant that she enjoyed kissing him. After all, most women did. As Amanda left, Lee made up an excuse why Amanda was there so late and headed back to his room. He spent the next hour trying to get the image out of his head of kissing her while pouring over football plays in hopes of finding the one that was drawn on the paper he had found. In the end, he came up empty on both issues and went to bed. Amanda King had an affect on Lee that couldn't be explained. It worried him a little that he couldn't figure it out. Why did he kiss her? He didn't have to. Perhaps he was so sure he would feel nothing that it was a good way to exorcise her out of his thoughts. Well it certainly backfired. It was hours before he could shut his mind off enough so he could sleep.

 **TBC**


	12. Chapter 12- Short Men

**Chapter 12 - Short Men**

Amanda had stopped by the agency that night with the film and Billy promised to get it right to Crypto. She had then gone home and gone to bed. The note to her Mother had been untouched so she replaced it with one saying that she was feeling a bit under the weather and would be sleeping in late in the morning. It was nearly 10am before she got up and headed to the bathroom to take her shower. She went downstairs to see that her Mother had left her a note telling her she was going to the Market. Amanda had a quick bowl of cereal and then headed back to the agency to find out the results. Billy ushered her into his office as soon as she entered the bullpen. He informed her that crypto didn't see anything unusual about the football play and then asked Amanda to find out if Bela had any more information. Billy asked Amanda if everything was going okay and she couldn't help but think of the kiss that Lee had given her but then snapped out of it and said "Everything is going fine sir." He thanked her for her help and sent her on her way.

Amanda arrived at the training camp just as they were delivering pizzas and sodas onto the field. Amanda didn't see Lee so she helped herself to a soda and then positioned herself near the table with the food so that he would spot her. She didn't see him until he approached her. He wasn't happy when she told him that the play hadn't been identified as anything significant. Lee told Amanda that Bela wasn't talking to him anymore. He went on and on about how Bela must have sensed Lee's athletic background and that was why he was originally talking to him. Amanda rolled her eyes at him because she knew that Bela had been told that Lee was working for the agency. She let him ramble on as this was the Macho side of Lee. Suddenly a young blonde cheerleader interrupted them and insisted on Lee helping her freshen her pompoms. Amanda didn't know what came over her but she took over and shook them for her. Was it jealousy? No, it couldn't be. This was Lee; this was what he did. He attracted these young blonde bimbo type girls. The cheerleader whispered in his ear to come take his picture with her and with barely a backwards glance at Amanda, he followed her like she had a leash attached to him. As he walked away, Amanda convinced herself that she was just looking out for him as he couldn't afford to be tied up with a girl while he was on the job. She was wondering if she should go interrupt him and tell him that they weren't done with her interview yet when her thoughts were interrupted by Bela. Amazingly enough; he seemed to have no problem in talking to Amanda. They were soon having a pleasant conversation as Bela was pleased that Amanda didn't seem to mind that he was short. She then praised him on his English and was about to ask him some other questions when Bela noticed the two guys in the bleachers and quickly excused himself and hurried away. Amanda decided to follow him and talk to him about the men since they were the same ones that had made him nervous before. She followed him under the stands but lost him until suddenly she was grabbed and pulled into the area where he was hiding. Amanda couldn't help but notice how nervous he was as he begged her not to notice anything else. As they were talking, Crandall and the Coach showed up and the next thing Amanda knew, Bela was kissing her. It had taken her totally by surprise when Bela kissed her but she realized that this kiss didn't send the same electrical currents through her that Lee's kiss had. Bela let her go immediately and hurried off embarrassed while Crandall and the coach shook their heads in disapproval at the whole scene. Amanda made her way back out to the table with the pizza on it and Lee rushed up and demanded where she had been. Amanda explained that she followed Bela under the stands because he had run away from those 2 men again. As they were talking, someone yelled that Bela was running to the top of the stands. Everyone on the field turned their attention to watching Bela and they all saw him jump off the top of the stands into the parking lot. Amanda couldn't believe her eyes. Lee took off running and Amanda followed behind him hoping they weren't too late to save Bela.

 **TBC**


	13. Chapter 13 - Laslo is Here

**Chapter 13 - Lazlo is Here**

The morning had started out normal enough as the men had all gotten up early for breakfast. Lee never ate breakfast so he grabbed a cup of coffee and tried to get Bela alone to talk but Bela continued to avoid him. After a short break to let their breakfast settle, the men had to go out on the field and do exercises. The practice game before Sunday's big game was tomorrow but today, the coach decided he was going to run them raged. They had to do 20 laps around the field and then they spent almost 2 hours doing all kinds of calisthenics. As a reward though, they were told that pizzas and sodas would be delivered to the field at noon for all to enjoy. Lee hoped that Amanda would show up by then. He noticed her almost immediately when she walked onto the field but he continued to eat his pizza so that it wasn't too obvious that he was waiting for her. She stood nearby and he could tell that she was looking for him. As he put the last bite of pizza into his mouth, he walked around the table and greeted her. He was definitely disappointed when Amanda said that Crypto couldn't determine anything special about the football play. He was sure it meant something. Amanda asked him about Bela and he had to admit that the guy was avoiding him. He then couldn't help but brag about himself a little bit. He didn't mind trying to impress Amanda. As he was laying on the charm, they were interrupted by a nice looking young cheerleader who definitely was coming onto Lee. Amanda insisted on helping her with her pompoms though and Lee shook his head for a second while wondering if he was seeing a hint of jealousy from Amanda. All of those thoughts quickly went away as he was dragged into a group with other cheerleaders to have a photo taken for a local newspaper. He had glanced over and saw that Amanda was talking to Bela while he was busy with the girls. However, when the photographer finally finished with him; Amanda had vanished. Where did she go? He told Jenny, the cheerleader, that he would have to talk to her later as he had something important to do. He panicked a little as he began looking for Amanda. She was nowhere to be found though and he began to worry if this safe assignment had just taken a turn when suddenly he noticed she was back near the pizza boxes. He rushed up to her and demanded to know where she had been and she began rambling about 2 guys and how Bela was scared of them. Suddenly Bobby pointed out that Bela was running up the stands. As Lee stood helpless on the ground, he watched Bela reached the top of the stands and jumped. Lee began running to see if he survived the fall. As Lee got outside the arena, there was no sign of Bela at all but a man popped his head up in a car nearby and Lee realized that it was Lazlo. Lee knew that this was bad news because it probably meant that Lazlo did know that Bela was there. Where the hell was Bela? Amanda ran out at that moment and Lee told her to get to the agency and let Billy know Lazlo might have spotted Bela. Lee then took off running back toward the team as Amanda asked her what he was going to do. He yelled back "Find Bela." Lee figured that Bela must have found a way to double back and maybe he had even raced to his room in hopes of finding a safe hiding place.

Lee quickly ran to Bela's room and knocked. After getting no answer, he used his lock pick to enter and found the room empty. For the next hour, Lee searched every place he could think of for Bela and couldn't find anything. Somehow Bela got out; but how? At this point, Lee decided that there was no reason to stay at the training camp so he jumped into his car and headed to the agency. He knew he needed help finding Bela before it is too late. Lee really hoped it wasn't too late.

 **TBC**


	14. Chapter 14 - I've Got Bela

**Chapter 14 - I've Got Bela**

Amanda jumped into her car so she could race to the agency. As she was preparing to start the car, Bela suddenly popped up in her backseat. After explaining that he fell in the bushes, he asked Amanda to "Burn Rubber". She never noticed the two goons who pulled out after her. For the next 5 hours, Amanda drove around the DC area while begging Bela to let her call the agency. He was so scared that he refused to let her. She told him that she really needed to get home to her 2 boys soon and she needed to get him someplace safe and that by this time, anyone who had been following them must have lost interest. Bela finally relented and agreed to her calling the agency. Amanda spotted a phone booth on the corner of Hoover and North West Chase Street and pulled over so she could use it. She told Bela to stay in the car and to stay down. He laid down in the back seat and waited for her. Amanda called the agency and got Francine. She could tell that Francine was about to hang up on her but she proudly said "I've got Bela" and it got Francine's attention. Lee picked up the phone and asked her where she was and if she had been tailed. Well of course she hadn't been tailed. Billy hadn't given her the instructional tape for avoiding a tail but she had been driving around for over 5 hours so she knew she couldn't have been tailed during that whole time. As she was talking to Lee, she looked out at her car to make sure Bela was staying put and saw that the two men had just pulled him from her car and were putting him in theirs. She told Lee as she dropped the receiver and went running to follow them. She was glad that one of the tapes that Billy had given her was how to do vehicular surveillance so she put it in to help guide her as she followed the car that had Bela. The tape told her many of the things too late and Amanda found it very complicated but she managed to follow the car to its destination. As she began to exit the car, the tape told her not to exit the car without proper backup or a weapon. She decided the only thing she could do was to go back to the phone booth in hopes that Lee would be there. She left so quickly that she didn't notice what street she was on. The tape had failed to tell her to do that. She just knew that she needed to get back to Lee immediately.

 **TBC**


	15. Chapter 15 - I'm a Professional

**Chapter 15 - I'm a Professional**

Lee had gotten back to the agency and discovered that Amanda had never shown up. He was a little concerned but had no time to worry about Mrs. King. He had to find Bela. Billy paged Francine and told her to get to the office immediately after hearing that Lazlo had located Bela. Then Billy called an investigation team at the agency and demanded help in finding Lazlo. They began complaining that it was Saturday night and Billy was so upset that he repeated what they said without thinking about the fact that it was actually Friday night. Francine came into his office at that point and was upset that her date had been interrupted especially since she had spent time getting all polished up. As Billy and Lee brainstormed trying to figure out where Bela was, the phone rang and Francine answered it. It turned out to be Amanda who said she had Bela. Lee picked up the phone and asked her where they were and if she had been followed. She assured him that she hadn't but then as she began to explain further, she realized that Bela was being kidnapped by the two men who had been bothering him. Luckily she had told Lee where she was because she dropped the receiver and apparently went after them. Lee bolted out the door without another word and raced to the phone booth. When he arrived, Amanda was no where to be found. He couldn't do anything so he decided to wait and began pacing on the sidewalk while rubbing his hand through his hair. It had been nearly 15 minutes and Lee was running out of patience. He leaned against the Porsche and decided to give it 5 more minutes before calling Billy. At that moment, Amanda pulled up while beeping her horn. Lee was frustrated with her as he got into her car especially when she began rambling about a cake and then she couldn't tell him what the name of the bar was or even the street name of where they had taken Bela. Then she told him that she could take him there. He shook his head as he realized that he should have suggested that to her to begin with. As she drove him to the bar, she filled him in on Bela falling into the bushes and getting into her car. Bela had told her about being chased by Lazlo and the 2 men and how Lazlo had almost killed him earlier. She further explained that it was why she hadn't been allowed to stop to call the agency for 5 hours. They arrived at the bar and Lee prepared to enter the building and Amanda immediately began expressing concern about him going in by himself. As he was bragging about being a professional, he suddenly found himself facing a gun and being told to hand it over or else he would be "dogfood". As Lee handed his gun to this bad guy, he couldn't help but look at Amanda and try to express that he was sorry for not listening to her as she shrugged and rolled her eyes at him. The bad guy told them to get out of the car slowly and to walk ahead of him. He motioned for them to go inside an office and to stay quiet while they waited for his boss to show up. Lee expected Lazlo to enter and instead some goon came in while lighting up a cigar. Maybe he could talk their way out of this yet if Amanda followed his lead.

 **TBC**


	16. Chapter 16 - I Wasn't Shacked Up

**Chapter 16 - I Wasn't Shacked Up**

Amanda raced back to the phone booth as quickly as she could and found Lee standing against his car. She began beeping her horn and waving to get his attention. He walked over to the car and began giving her a hard time about not being there when he arrived. She was so frustrated that she had lost Bela that Amanda began rambling as she explained what she had done and why she had done it. He got into her car as she continued trying to explain and he interrupted her and asked where Bela was. Amanda had to admit that she didn't get the name of the place or the address but that she could take him there. She put the car into drive and headed back to the bar. When they arrived, Lee prepared to go in alone. Amanda was worried about him doing that since he should have back up but he insisted that he was a professional. As they were arguing, one of the men in the plaid sports coats told Lee to drop his gun. Lee reluctantly agreed but gave an apologetic look to Amanda who turned her head to keep from smiling as she rolled her eyes and shook her head since once again the man's ego had gotten in the way. It wasn't a funny situation and Amanda knew that but for being so good at his job, Lee sure could be pigheaded at times. The man made them go inside and Amanda didn't feel afraid because Lee was there and she knew he would figure out something. The boss entered as he lit a cigar and blew the smoke out at Lee and Amanda. Amanda couldn't stand cigars and immediately began choking on the thing. Why did men feel the need to smoke those horrible things? They were worse than cigarettes. She fully intended to make sure her two sons knew better than to pollute their lungs with smoking. She would have to have a talk with them again soon. Amanda listened while Lee tried to reason with these men and she realized that he thought they were part of the Leichenstein tax evasion thing but they didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He exchanged looks with her and then began trying to use their covers of Sandy Newcombe and Amanda being a reporter but these men weren't buying that story at all and they were going to hit Lee. So Amanda decided to take things into her own hands and tried to scare them with the fact that they were agents. As she spun her story, she could tell they didn't believe her though and she lost her confidence and found her voice cracking. The boss man laughed at her instead and told her that he loved her. He even offered her a job. Then the phone rang and one of the men answered it. He asked Marty the boss man about a bet. Lee looked at Amanda as they both realized that they were actually in a bookie joint. That sure did change everything. Lee began spinning a tale about being in it for a lot of money on the Pioneer's and Marty was proud of himself for figuring them out. He explained to them that Bela just needed to miss a couple of field goals and that he would be safe. Amanda tried to warn them again that they were the Feds but Marty laughed at her. When Lee said that they couldn't stay, one of the men punched him hard in the stomach. As Lee doubled over in pain and Amanda tried to comfort him, Marty told the man to go get the jackets. In no time Amanda found that both she and Lee had been placed in strait jackets. Amanda couldn't believe this was all happening. She had never been in a bookie joint, she had certainly never been in a strait jacket and now she was going to have to spend a night away from her family and hope that her Mother didn't worry too much about her whereabouts.

Marty surveyed their handiwork before heading out of the office. He looked at Amanda and told her that she was cute and that he was serious, he definitely would give her a job if she changed her mind. He then told them to have a comfortable sleep and chuckled as he left. His helper told them that he had shut off the phones and that he would be right outside the door so he didn't want to hear any crap from them because he might have to break skulls if he had to come in at all. Amanda looked at Lee who gave her a look of reassurance. Then they were alone.

"Can you believe this? We're stuck in a bookie joint for the night. Unbelievable." Lee said.

"Well at least Bela is safe as long as they have him. They don't sound like they want to hurt him as long as he does as they ask." Amanda suggested.

"You are right on that one. Unfortunately Lazlo does want to hurt him so once they give him back to the Pioneers, he is at risk again. There has to be a way out of these things. Come here and back up against me so I can see if I can reach through the material and undo your straps." Lee said.

They went butt to butt and Lee stretched and pulled and tried to reach Amanda's straps but just couldn't do it. Meanwhile Amanda found that Lee's butt kept rubbing her own and it embarrassed her.

"Lee, this isn't working." She finally said.

Lee sighed and said "You are right. That won't work. Damn it, I wish they hadn't turned off the phones. They don't seem that smart so I was sure they would leave them on." Lee went over and knocked one of the receivers off just to be sure. The phone was dead. Amanda watched as he then struggled against the jacket and tried to twist his arms in such a way as to pull them over his head but after 10 minutes of effort, he fell into Marty's chair exhausted.

Amanda said gently "Lee, did you really think you were going to get out it that way?"

"Why not, David Copperfield gets out of these things all the time."

Amanda smiled and said quietly "You are no David Copperfield."

"A-M-A-N-D-A!" Lee said with a scolding look. They both laughed.

Amanda sat down on the couch and said "So what do we do now?"

"Looks like we get comfortable and wait for a way to get out. Amanda? Will your Mom and the boys be worried when you don't show up tonight?"

Amanda had a wistful look on her face as she said "Yeah, I'll have some explaining to do later. I just hope there will be a later."

"We'll get out of this. Don't worry." Lee said in a comforting voice. "Maybe Dan will come rescue us." He said with a smirk.

"Who?" Amanda asked.

"You know; Dan; your boyfriend." Lee said.

"Oh, his name is Dean. Oh my Gosh, I forgot about Dean. He's supposed to be flying back into town tomorrow morning. We are supposed to be going Christmas shopping for the boys.

"Amanda, it will be okay."

"I know you will get us out of this Lee."

They both fell silent with their thoughts and then Amanda said "It's kinda cold in here."

"Yeah? I'm okay."

"I think it is from wearing this skirt. It is my legs that are cold."

Lee got up from the desk and walked over to where Marty's boys had put his jacket when they took it off so they could put the straitjacket on. He picked it up with his teeth and carried it over to the couch where Amanda had stretched out and gently put it on top of her bare legs.

"Thanks Lee" Amanda said as she used her elbows and shifted her legs to get the jacket to completely cover up her bare lower half. Lee went over to the door and looked out the little window in the door and saw one of the men standing right outside. Lee sighed and went back to Marty's chair and collapsed back into it. His mind started trying to come up with a way for them to escape. Everything he came up with, he had to dismiss though as it was too dangerous with Amanda there. As he sat there thinking, he ended up drifting off to sleep.

He first began to awaken because his neck was hurting from it resting against his chest as he slept but then he realized that the sun was poking its way into the window and blinding his sleep ridden eyes. Lee proceeded to stretch so he could begin to waken his whole body and realized that it wasn't a dream and that he and Amanda were put in straitjackets and left at a bookie joint all night. His muscles ached all over from sitting in that uncomfortable chair the whole time and falling asleep there. He managed to get up and walked over to where Amanda was sleeping. He couldn't help but notice that she looked cute even after sleeping on a couch all night and he found himself smiling as he looked at her. He began trying to wake her and she complained to her Mother about disturbing her sleep. He finally got her to wake up and they began discussing how to get out. As they were talking about Bela's safety, Lee remembered the football play that he had found and suddenly the light bulb came on. They were going to kill Bela right on the field. Bela wouldn't have a chance. It was more important than ever for them to escape and get back to the football camp.

"Okay, listen to me. We have to get out of here." Lee said quietly. "Now we know the goon posted outside is going to come check on us shortly so we are both going to hide. After he has opened the door, I want you to pop up and get his attention and I'll try to take him down. Can you do that Amanda?"

"Sure, it doesn't sound too difficult" She answered. "Are you sure you are able to take him down while you are in that jacket?"

"Amanda, please, I'm a professional. Just do as I asked, okay?"

"Okay, Okay, I was just asking." Amanda shook her head as she went to go hide.

Lee watched as Amanda walked over to hide behind the file cabinet near the window and couldn't help but smile as he watched her go. She faced everything with a certain level of defiance and never seemed to give up. He had to give her credit for that. She had picked the best place to hide so that the man would look to his right when Amanda startled him. Lee took a position behind one of the cabinets that was across from the door which would give him better access to take him out. It didn't take long for the man to come check on them and Amanda did her part perfectly by popping up and saying "Good Morning" which worked just as they planned as the man looked at her and Lee continued to confuse him by making a charging noise as he rushed at him and slammed him into the wall which knocked him out. Lee couldn't help but gloat that Crandall would have approved the tackle since Lee stuck the guy with his face. Now they just needed to find someone to get them out of the jackets. Luckily as they headed out the door to look for someone, there was a young delivery kid bringing in a beer keg. Lee startled him and began rambling about being Federal Agents. The kid looked at Lee like he was about to bolt so Lee looked at Amanda with a look of despair and she took over.

"Hi, I'm Amanda and this is my friend Lee. We could really use your help here. I know this looks bad but I promise you that it isn't what it seems at all. Now, if you could just undo my straps, I'll explain it all to you."

The kid found himself doing as she asked though he wasn't sure why. Her tone just sounded so much like his Mother's that he didn't dare to disobey and soon he had her loose as Amanda told him a short ramble about why they were there. As soon as she was out of the jacket, she quickly got Lee out of his as she finished her story. The kid wished them luck at they raced out the door.

 **TBC**


	17. Chapter 17 - Tackling a Killer

**Chapter 17** \- **Tackling a Killer**

Amanda had laid down on the couch in the Bookie Joint just to get more comfortable and to try to curl up a little to stay warm. Marty apparently didn't believe in running the heat. The straitjacket kept her upper half warm enough but she found that her legs were freezing. After several minutes of not being able to think about anything but how cold she was, she finally mentioned it. She was pleased when Lee got up and used his mouth to move his jacket onto her legs. It took a little bit of situating things but she was finally able to cover her legs up totally with his jacket and she felt so much better. Lee liked to play the macho man but he really was a nice guy deep down. In fact, he fascinated her. He had seen so much more of the world than she ever would, had done so many things in his young life and was really good at this spy thing. It didn't hurt that he was cute too. Amanda couldn't help but remember all the interesting times she had had with him so far on the cases she had been involved in. He seemed to be handling her being with him during this case better than she thought he would. She really hoped that he would give up the idea of getting her to quit the agency. The last thought she had as she drifted off to sleep was that maybe someday, they could be friends.

Morning came way too early and when she heard a voice saying her name, she thought it was her Mother's voice. She soon realized it was Lee's voice and tried to remember why she was hearing Lee's voice so early in the morning. As she tried to sit up, she also remembered that she was in a straitjacket. She had never even seen one before and now she was wearing one. So this hadn't been one of her dreams about being a spy, this dream was real. Lee began talking out what he thought was going to happen to Bela and it reminded Amanda again of why she was so determined to keep Phillip out of Football. Then Lee began getting excited about that play he had found and Amanda realized that he was right, those awful men were going to try to kill Bela on the field. They soon came up with a plan on how to get past the guard outside. They worked together as a team and Lee was able to knock the man out. He was good with his tackling but not so good with his people skills. Amanda quickly took over the conversation with the delivery boy and convinced him to undo her straitjacket. She then got Lee out of his. She thanked the kid as Lee grabbed her hand and they raced out to her car. Amanda quickly buckled her seatbelt as Lee did a U - Turn in the middle of the road and began racing back toward the football camp. Amanda was terrified, she had never been in a car that had gone over 60 mph through residential neighborhoods before. As she lectured Lee about going too fast, he suddenly stepped onto the gas pedal and Amanda's car surged up to just under 100mph. As he pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car, he asked her to call the agency to make sure Billy was on the way with backup. Amanda agreed and rushed to a pay phone as she watched Lee run under the bleachers and head towards the practice field.

Lee knew that it was making Amanda nervous to have her car driven so fast but he was so afraid that it would be too late by the time they got there and that Bela would be dead. He raced out of the car as soon as he stopped it and saw that Bela was still in one piece on the field but that the play was in process. Lee took off running as fast as he could and headed right for Phil who was in the process of trying to take Bela out. Lee jumped on top of him as he pinned Bela to the ground and Lee's momentum allowed him to pull Phil's huge body off Bela. He couldn't help but let some of the frustration of Phil's rude comments take control of him as he pummeled the man. The first punch was for teasing him about being old, the second punch was for slamming his face into his dinner but the knock out kick to the face was for making fun of his manhood. It felt good to get his revenge on this punk kid. After he was sure that Phil wasn't getting back up, he looked to the outer field and saw Laslo lurking there. He yelled at him as he began to run and Laslo took off running. Just as Lee was trying to figure out how to stop him from escaping, Amanda used her camera's flash to startle Laslo which allowed Lee to catch up to him and knock him out. Lee was really impressed with Amanda's quick thinking and couldn't help but beam at her for helping out the way she did. As Billy rushed up, Lee's excitement level was still high and he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Bela ran over to thank him and Billy told Bela that Price and his men were being detained also. About that time, Lee's emotional high had begun to crash and as he bragged about how these boys weren't so big after all; his head began swimming and he became dizzy and the next thing he knew, he was passing out. He wasn't sure how long he laid on the ground before he came to but Amanda was applying ice wrapped in towels to his head to help him while Billy stood over the scene watching. As soon as Billy knew that Lee was going to be okay, he laughed and said "What were you saying about being able to play this game? If Mrs. King hadn't broken your fall, you would be nursing a bump on your head too."

Lee looked at Amanda and said "Did you catch me?"

Amanda smiled and said "Yeah, I did. Lee, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little embarrassed. Can we get out of here now?"

The blonde haired cheerleader had come up to Lee just as he was getting onto his feet and said "I guess this game is a little too rough for you. I think I'm a little more woman than you can handle too." She grabbed Bobby's arm and he led her away.

"Gee Lee; I'm sorry that didn't work out. She seemed a little too old for you anyway." Amanda said with a smile.

"Amanda! That's not funny. Now help me to your car please. I need you to drive me to mine. I just hope nothing has happened to it. That area is not the safest place to have left my car.

"Are you sure you are going to be able to drive right now?" Amanda asked.

"I'll be fine. Come on, let's go." Lee didn't notice that Billy was laughing like crazy as they walked away.

 **TBC**


	18. Chapter 18 - Celebration

**A/N: You can thank Pam for pushing me to finish posting Sudden Death so I can start sharing what happened afterward. I know people are reading. I hope you are enjoying. This Chapter was fun to write. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 18 - Celebration**

Amanda had driven Lee to his car and stayed to make sure he had gotten into it okay. She then decided to use her new skills of tailing people and follow him back to his apartment. She was relieved to see that he had gone straight back there and once she saw him head inside, she turned her car for home. Her days of being an ace reporter were officially over or at least for now.

Lee had gotten back to his car and thanked Amanda for the lift and then driven himself back to his apartment. He couldn't help but smile when he realized that Amanda was tailing him but trying to pretend that she wasn't. She was truly something else. He didn't know if she would ever make a good agent but he knew that he wasn't as determined to make her quit. She had really helped on this assignment and he was beginning to see that it was nice to have her around. He remembered fondly waking up that morning and seeing her sleeping on the couch. When did she become such a beautiful woman? He wasn't sure he had noticed before but she had a natural beauty that was rare to find. Yes, Amanda King was definitely an interesting woman. Lee headed into his apartment, threw his jacket and the football that he had taken from the locker room onto a chair in the corner and slumped down on the sofa. He put his feet on the coffee table and leaned back into the cushions. It didn't take long for his body to shut down and he fell asleep. As he drifted off, he decided that he would call Nanci and ask her if she wanted to go out to the club with him tonight. It was time to prove that Phil's comments were full of hot air and he was still sure Nanci wouldn't mind helping him with that proof.

"Amanda?" Lee asked. "Are you there?"

"Why of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"Well I told you to stay in the car. You never listen to me though so I figured you were here."

"I did stay in the car Lee. You didn't tell me how long I had to stay in the car though and after 10 minutes, I decided it was long enough. Did you find him?"

"No, he appears to have snuck out on me. I was hoping you saw him on your way in."

"No, there was no one around when I came in."

"Okay, Amanda, I'm going to search his office. I want you to stay outside this door and let me know if anyone comes. Can you do that?"

"Lee! Of course I can do that. I'm not dumb you know."

"I didn't say that you were. I just don't want you to come into the office, I need you to stay out here and keep an eye out and talk loudly if anyone shows up."

"Alright, alright, I get the point. I'll just stay right here!"

"Good, I shouldn't be long." Lee used his lock pick to open the office door and went inside. He closed the door and then turned on his flashlight and beamed it around the room. He noticed several pictures on the wall and shone his flashlight to get a better view of them. There were a lot of men in uniform smiling in each of the framed pictures. The men were mostly young and all of them seemed to be proud of themselves. He noticed several plaques listing accomplishments of some of them and there were a few Memorial plaques too; listing the date of birth and death along with which years they had served and what their position had been.

Lee didn't recognize any of them until he got to one picture of a young man who was surrounded by a group of young ladies. He couldn't help but smile when he realized it was him. He remembered it like it was yesterday when the cheerleader had dragged him to be in a picture taking event and his picture had been mounted on the wall with all these other men. There was a series of sentences typed underneath the picture that simply said "Sandy Newcombe from Canada posing beside of a group of cheerleaders. Sandy's career ended abruptly during training when a player knocked him to the ground and he suffered major knee damage." It was the cover they had used to explain his sudden departure after he caught Laslo. In the picture, Sandy was holding a football as the cheerleaders all hugged him.

Lee tore his gaze away from the wall and turned his attention to the desk. As he began searching inside the desk, he tried to remember why he was there. He became more frantic as he opened each desk drawer and didn't find anything that seemed like an object he was looking for. He began slamming the desk drawers almost as quickly as he opened each one. Why couldn't he find what he had come for? What was it? Maybe he should open the door and ask Amanda. Amanda? What was Amanda doing there? Why had he brought her along? Was he going mad? He needed to get Amanda out of there. As he shut the last desk drawer, he headed for the office door and heard a loud bang out in the hallway. He rushed to save Amanda when he heard another loud bang and his whole body shook as his head shot up and he tried to focus on where he was. He found himself still tense with worry about what had happened to Amanda when he suddenly realized it had all been a dream as the car outside backfired again. He was still in his apartment and was sprawled out on his sofa. He shook his head to clear the sleep from it and sat up. What the heck was that all about?

He slowly got up and walked into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and then turned on the bathroom faucet. Lee used his hands to scoop up some water and dump it over his head to help wake himself up. He really needed to get out of this apartment for awhile. Lee grabbed his coat and scarf and headed out the door. He found himself driving through the city trying to get a handle on things. He had already decided that Amanda could stay with the agency so why was he dreaming about her? His mind wandered back to the night that he kissed her for the sake of his cover. It had started out as perfectly innocent, he needed a cover and kissing her made sense. He just wasn't prepared for the electrical currents that had gone though him from that kiss. In his lifetime, he had kissed many women but mostly to please them. Lee rarely ever got much pleasure out of kissing but kissing led to other things so if that was what he needed to do to get to those other things, he didn't mind doing them. Kissing Amanda though had been pleasurable. In fact, he had almost not wanted to stop but he knew that he had shocked her and that she was resisting him because of it. After all, they had nothing in common. He didn't fit in her life any more than she fit into his. He would guess that she hadn't even enjoyed the kiss at all and was just thankful that she was the type to not mention things that were embarrassing to them both.

She was something else. He needed to show her that he appreciated her help in this case but also he needed to show her that he was willing to accept her as a partner though he wasn't sure he was ready to use those exact words yet. He slammed on the brakes of the Porsche, did a u-turn in the middle of the road and headed back to his apartment. He rushed upstairs and tried to remember what he had done with it. He remembered carrying it upstairs but he had been so tired that he couldn't remember what he had done with it. Then he spied it. It must have rolled out of the chair where he had tossed it when he grabbed his coat. The football that he had taken from the camp as a souvenir was on the floor near his coffee table. He quickly grabbed it and headed into the kitchen. He found a sharpie and wrote a quick note on the football and then grabbed 2 champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne and rushed back out the door. After he piled the items into his car, he jumped in and headed for Arlington.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Amanda had rushed home that morning knowing that her Mother would already know that she hadn't come home all night but hoping that she somehow could get into her bed and pretend that she had been there. She arrived to an empty house and found a note from her family saying that they had gone to the science museum for the day. Amanda went upstairs and laid down on her bed. Even though she had fallen asleep at the Bookie Joint, it had not been a very restful sleep. A few hours later she awoke and felt much better. She got up and showered and then went downstairs and prepared a pot roast dinner for her family for when they returned. She noticed that there was a message on the board that Dean had called so she called him back. He was a little upset about not getting to go Christmas shopping with her the day before but told her that he had gone ahead and purchased a couple of gifts for the boys. She chuckled when he told her that he had gotten Phillip a Redskin uniform and Jamie a full Barometer set just like he had had when he was that age. She asked him if he wanted to come for dinner but he told her that he wasn't feeling great and that he didn't want to make the whole household sick so he was going to go to bed early and try to get some rest. She told him that she hoped he felt better soon and that she better go so she could check on dinner. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

The family arrived just after 5pm and her Mother walked in and gave her a funny look but didn't say anything as the boys rambled on about all the fun they had had at the museum. Amanda put the food on the table and everyone sat down to dinner. As the boys continued to ramble on, Dotty finally said "Boys can you keep it down a little, my head is throbbing."

"What's wrong Mother?" Amanda asked.

"What's wrong dear? What's wrong? Have you forgotten what it is like going to the Science museum where hundreds of kids are running around and screaming at the tops of their lungs? My head might not stop hurting for a week."

"I'm sorry Mother. Why don't you go upstairs and rest and I'll take care of the dishes."

"Thank you my darling. I think I will. Good Night Dear."

The boys had bought some stuff from the museum so they decided to go up to their room and put the kits together.

Amanda went into the kitchen and began filling the sink with water. The house was still pretty warm from having the oven going for so long so Amanda opened up the kitchen window so she could enjoy the night air as she did up the dinner dishes. She had been scrubbing a glass for a few minutes while lost in thought and still couldn't seem to get it clean. Suddenly Lee's head popped up before her and he handed her a football. At first, she thought it was silly that he was giving her a football until she realized he had taken time to write on it. It made her smile that he was giving her a gift after he told her it was a souvenir of their case together. Then he proceeded to fill up glasses of champagne and said he was celebrating the end of his football career.

Before they could toast, Amanda's Mother showed up complaining that her headache was still bad and it had led to her sinuses acting up but that her headache mask was leaking. As she proceeded to take ice out of the freezer, she began lecturing Amanda on the interesting life that she was leading since she had been out the night before and kept getting weird phone calls. Amanda knew that if she was feeling better, this lecture would continue on about how it wasn't fair to Dean if Amanda had someone else on the side. Since Lee was standing there, she was glad her Mother had left it at that and instead talked about Cousin Iggy.

Instead of putting ice into a towel and applying it to her head, her Mother simply wrapped a towel around her face which covered her eyes. Amanda looked back to see if Lee had stayed or if he had decided he better leave and was happy to see he was still there and seemed amused by her Mother's story. They quietly toasted each other while her Mother laughed at the thought of Amanda living a double life. Amanda realized that her Mother was digging around for information on where she had been the night before but she couldn't possibly tell her that she was tied up in a Bookie Joint. She would never understand. She drained her glass and handed it back to Lee who had drained his too. He Mouthed "I'll call you tomorrow" as he grabbed the glasses and bottle and made his way out of her back yard.

Amanda found herself still smiling 30 minutes later as she finished the dishes. Her Mother had put ice in a different towel and had gone upstairs to her room to try to relax in the meantime. After the dishes were done, Amanda walked out in the livingroom while lightly tossing the football up in the air and catching it. The man never ceased to take her by surprise. She still had the Panda Bear in her chair upstairs to prove that. She went to the bookcase in the living room and moved some things around so she could place the football there. As her fingers lingered on it, she recalled Lee kissing her. It was another time he had taken her by surprise. She hadn't expected him to kiss her. At first she had been upset that he thought he could use her that way but after she had time to think about it, she really had enjoyed the kiss. The man sure could kiss and send electrical currents all through her body. Who was she kidding though? It was just a cover kiss, it hadn't meant anything and she was sure that Lee hadn't felt anything from it. Amanda sighed as she reminded herself that she would never fit into his world and he sure didn't want to be normal so he wouldn't fit into hers either. It occurred to her though that he had said that he was celebrating the ending of "their" case together and he also had not once mentioned anything about her leaving the agency. Maybe Billy was right and Lee had just needed time to get used to the fact that she wasn't going anywhere. Only time would tell but she was hopeful that maybe he was finally accepting her. She could barely wait for him to call tomorrow.

 **TBC**


	19. Chapter 19 - Rhonda

**A/N: And why not just a little tease to end the weekend with? I'll begin posting the "In Between Episode" tomorrow. Thanks again for reading. I would love to know whether you are enjoying the story or not.**

 **Chapter 19 - Rhonda**

As Lee pulled the Porsche away from the curb on Maplewood Drive, he couldn't help but smile. He had not only made Amanda's night but he got a glimpse into her world as he listened to Dotty talk on about her cousin Iggy. For a moment he had felt jealous of their relationship. He didn't have a relationship with his mom and he felt just a twinge of regret while watching Amanda with hers. He let the feeling pass though as he was not one to dwell on such things. As he drove away, he continued to smile as he thought about Amanda's face as she toasted him and the cute wink she gave to him when her mom mentioned that Amanda couldn't be leading a double life. Amanda King was definitely here to stay and Lee was no longer finding it so awful that she was. He expected that she would still annoy him from time to time since they were so totally different but he wasn't sure he could imagine her not being around now. As he drove along, he realized that his gas tank was getting low so he decided it was a good time to go check in with Rhonda.

As he pulled into the gas station, he noticed that it looked closed. It was pretty early for it to close on a Saturday night so he was a little worried seeing the lights off. He killed the motor and lights in the Porsche and eased the car to a standstill. As he sat in the darkness watching the station, he noticed some movement in the garage itself. Lee quietly opened his door and got out while pulling his gun out. He shut the door without any noise and crept up to the side of the garage. As he peered into the window, he could see Rhonda's boss working on a car in the garage. There wasn't any sign of Rhonda or of any trouble. Lee knocked on the garage door and Stu came and opened the door.

"Hi" Lee said. "Is everything okay?"

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" Stu asked.

"It is just weird to see you closed so early." Lee answered.

"Oh, well I had to. Rhonda called out on me and since I didn't have anyone else to cover for me, I couldn't leave the pumps going. I have this car that I have to get running before morning."

"Rhonda called out? Did she say why?"

"She said something about an Aunt who was sick. She apparently went out of town for a few days to take care of her."

"Oh, okay. I'll catch up with her when she gets back then. Thanks" Lee said as he walked back to his car. He had never heard Rhonda talk about any of her aunts but it wasn't like he knew her personal life either. He hoped she was okay. In the meantime, he hadn't gotten any additional information about Larisa. He couldn't help but wonder if Rhonda had found out anything new or not.

Lee drove the Porsche to a different gas station and filled up and then headed to his apartment. He parked the car and headed inside. As he walked in, he noticed that his answering machine was flashing. He pressed the play button as he took off his coat and scarf and immediately found himself hurrying over to the machine to listen closely.

"Lee, it's Rhonda. I just wanted to let you know that I have to get out of town for a few days. Things got a little hot at the gas station and I need to make sure no one realizes that I help the agency. Now, I'm okay but your friend Larisa came into the station today. I know she was checking me out. She asked me all kinds of questions and even asked about my friendship with you. I played it cool but I'm not sure she believed me. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that word on the street is that Miguel has in fact hired Larisa for a big job. Apparently there is a huge transaction about to take place that involves a lot of drugs and a lot of guns. My source says that Miguel is hoping to use Larisa to make sure that things go smoothly. Her connections are allowing her to call in some pretty big league players on this one. Lee, if they get away with this, they will have enough drugs to fund the purchase of several military aircrafts and enough weapons to bring down the whole USA. I have never felt unsafe before but this one is huge and they won't let anyone get in their way. Be careful my friend."

The machine cut off as Rhonda hung up. Lee played the message a couple of more times and then called Billy and played it to him. They agreed to meet at the agency at 8am the following morning. Suddenly Lee's fun night had been ruined.

 **TBC**


	20. Chapter 20 - Return of a Special Agent

**Chapter 20 - The Return of a Special "Agent"**

Lee barely slept that night and was at the agency at 7:30. He was in the middle of his second cup of coffee when Billy walked in.

"Coffee?" He asked Billy.

"I would love some." Lee poured him a cup and then followed him into his office. "

"So when you talked to Rhonda the other day, did she tell you anything else?" Billy asked.

"No, just that Miguel might be employing Larisa. I guess it is official now. So much for our theory that it was the Soviets and East Germans looking to work with her."

"Who says they aren't involved?" Billy asked.

Lee ran his hand through his hair and said "Right. Billy how do we handle this? We don't have any proof so if we launch a full investigation, it will tip our hand especially since we don't even know where to look."

"Lee, where does Larisa usually hang out?"

Lee quickly faced Billy and said "How would I know?"

"Well the last I recall when she was here before, she liked to hang out in lavish night clubs and expensive retail shops. She also usually finds a way to hang out with influential politicians. I think the way to find out what is going on is to find her and spend some time with her."

"Billy, that won't work. She knows what I look like. Hell she knows what Francine looks like too." He offered quickly.

"True but there is someone she doesn't know."

"Awwww, come on Billy. This is way too dangerous for Amanda."

"Well you'll be in disguise and acting as her boyfriend the whole time. I'm sure you can keep her safe."

"What would Amanda have in common with Larisa?" Lee asked.

"I don't know but they are women. Surely she could find some common ground with her. Lee, it is our only chance."

Lee ran his hand through his hair again as he continued pacing. "Yeah, right. Okay, I'll go talk to her. We'll need to set up a profile for her."

"Why can't we use the one we already have?" Billy asked.

"Victoria Greenwich? Isn't that risky to use it again?"

"Why? Delano and his people are in jail and Amanda's cover was never blown with that profile. It will be easy to set it all back up and she has already used it once so she will be comfortable using it again." Billy said with conviction.

Lee sighed. There was nothing that was going to change Billy's mind. Maybe Lee was going to regret that he had wanted Amanda to stay on. This assignment was going to be dangerous and he wasn't sure if he could keep her out of trouble and safe or not. After all, the last time she played Victoria Greenwich, he almost watched her die. It still scared him how close she had come to not making it out of that one alive.

"Okay, you win. I'll go talk to her." Lee said.

Lee went to his desk and called Amanda's house. He was pleased that she was the one who picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

He could hear the smile in her voice as she said "I see your phone manners still haven't improved."

"Amanda, can you meet me at the coffee shop near the agency?"

"I guess so. Will this take long? My Mother had suggested that we go to a play this afternoon."

"No, it won't last long. I need your help and I want to talk to you before you agree to do it."

"Sounds serious." Amanda said.

"It is. This one is really serious Amanda."

"Okay, I'll meet you in 30 minutes."

"Thanks." Lee said as he hung up. He hopped onto the computer and began pulling any records he could find for Larisa. The one thing that was consistent was that she never pretended to be someone else. No one had ever been able to prove anything she had done and since she had diplomatic status, they couldn't touch her anyway other than to send her out of the country but they never seemed to find enough to keep her from being to come back. Lee was shocked at how many cases were logged onto the agency's computer for her and he printed off summaries of each one. He would spend some time this afternoon looking them over to see if there was anything that would help him with this case. Noticing the time, he headed downstairs to the coffee shop. Amanda was getting out of her car just as he approached the building so he helped her out and then held the door for her to enter the building. He guided her to a corner table and they both sat down.

"So what's going on? How can I help?" Amanda asked. The waitress arrived at that moment so they ordered their coffees and waited for her to leave.

"Amanda, I have a dangerous assignment to ask your help with. I don't like asking. Now you wait a minute before you interrupt me. I'm not saying that I don't want to work with you, I'm saying that this one is the most dangerous assignment you have ever been on." Lee stated as Amanda began to cut him off. "Now you listen to me; I need you to take over your role of Victoria Greenwich again so that you can make contact with a Soviet Operative who is possibly setting up an immense drug and weapons sales deal like nothing we have ever witnessed. I don't like asking you to do this but quite frankly, she won't recognize you and she will recognize everyone else from the agency. This woman is deadly though. She has been the reason for the deaths of many of our military, a few Politicians and many innocent people who have gotten into her way. She wouldn't hesitate to kill you too if she thought that you were part of the agency. I'm going to have disguise myself somehow so I can act as your boyfriend but I will have to stay low keyed so she doesn't catch on which means you are going to have to do most of the work. Amanda, I hate asking you to put yourself at such risk but we don't have a lot of other choices. If you want to say no, I understand though." Lee almost wished she would say no but he knew she wouldn't.

"I'll do it. What do I have to do?" Amanda asked.

"Larisa enjoys the finer things in life. Since Victoria does too, she might be able to become friends with Larisa. She tends to hang out at the expensive night clubs and usually spends time at expensive clothes boutiques and such. I know you did a good job convincing Delano that you were Victoria so if you can convince Larisa of the same thing and convince her that you want in on some action, she just might include you."

"Okay, when do we start?"

"Amanda, go home and spend some time with your family. Then tell them that you are house sitting for a client. We can't risk you going back and forth to your home. I need you to stay at that house that we got for Victoria Greenwich. I checked and it is still available so our people are already over preparing it for your arrival. It will be safer for your family too if you stay away. Now you'll still be able to call them but it is best to stay away until this is over. Okay?"

"If you think that is the best, than okay I guess." Amanda said reluctantly. She didn't like being away from the boys indefinitely and she wasn't sure that her Mother wasn't going to question her being gone again.

"Trust me, it is for the best. Thanks Amanda. Now go spend some time with your boys." Lee said with a smile.

Amanda nodded and thanked Lee for the coffee and headed for her car. Lee watched her go and couldn't get over her spunk. She seemed to understand the danger and yet still wouldn't back down. Even Francine would have had to give her credit for her guts. He just hoped he could keep her safe.

 **TBC**


	21. Chapter 21 - A Busy Sunday

**Chapter 21 - A Busy Sunday**

By morning, Amanda had forgotten that Lee had promised to call and she went about making breakfast for her family. Her mother mentioned that the local girl scouts were putting on a Christmas play that afternoon at the school and that it might be fun to go. Amanda agreed and though the boys groaned, Phillip had a crush on Suzy so he soon had convinced Jamie that they could have fun counting their mistakes. Amanda smiled as she realized that Phillip would likely be concentrating on things other than Suzy's mistakes. As she finished drying the dishes and putting them away, the phone rang. She was used to his voice by now and though she couldn't believe that his phone manners were so awful, it no longer upset her like it used to. In fact, she just enjoyed teasing him about his phone etiquette. She soon realized that this call was business and that it could entail a dangerous assignment for her. She agreed to meet Lee downtown at a coffee shop. She was just hanging up the phone when her Mother came downstairs. "Another of those strange phone calls dear?" Dotty asked. Amanda smiled and said "No, that was Mr. Swenson. His parakeet got out of its cage and he can't get it to come down off the curtain rod. It is pooping on his expensive curtains so he asked if I could come catch it for him."

"Oh dear. Does that mean that you won't be able to go to the play?" Dotty asked.

"No, it shouldn't take too long. I should be back in about an hour." Amanda said as she hurried out the door.

As she drove to DC, she wondered what kind of case would be this dangerous. After all, Lee had said it was more dangerous than she had been on before and she had already been on some pretty dangerous cases. She pulled up to the coffee shop just as Lee turned the corner. She couldn't help but smile as he helped her out of the car and into the building. He definitely had incredible manners. She wondered how he got them. They sat down at a table away from everyone else and after placing their coffee orders, Lee told her that he needed her to become Victoria Greenwich again. He explained the case and then told her that it would be unsafe for her to remain at home during it. Her heart sank a little at the thought of leaving her boys for that length of time but she knew that if Lee was suggesting that she stay away; it was for the best. He suggested using a house sitting job for a reason. He told her to go enjoy her family as she would have to become Victoria on the next day. Amanda was a little nervous since Lee seemed worried about her safety but she knew he would keep her safe. She agreed to meet him at the Greenwich house in the morning, thanked him for the coffee and then headed for home.

As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed that Dean's car was parked out front. Amanda let out a big sigh because she had forgotten about Dean. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She got out of the car and went inside and discovered that her Mother had asked him to come to the play with them.

"I'm glad you are feeling better Dean" Amanda said.

"So am I. I think I just got a touch of the flu because it seemed to only last for 24 hours. I was happy when your Mother called me and invited me to the play and to dinner because I just found out that I have to go out of town again on Monday."

Amanda looked at her Mother and noticed that she was avoiding looking back at her. "Gee, that's too bad Dean. Another conference?" Amanda asked.

"No, actually I just heard that my Cousin Ralph who lives in Topeka. He was in a bad accident and there is no one to take care of him while he recovers. My Mother volunteered me to help out. Amanda, I was wondering if you would come with me. After all, we did meet when you were being a Bedside Bluebell so I know you are very good at taking care of grumpy sick people. When he's sleeping, we could have some time alone." Dean suggested.

"I would love to Dean but I just agreed to take on a house sitting job."

"Amanda? When did you do that? No one has called the house and you were gone to Mr. Swenson's the past hour or so." Dotty inquired.

"Oh Mother, I didn't get to tell you yet. While I was at Mr. Swenson's house, a good friend of his called and told him that his work just decided to pursue a contract in Africa and that they needed him on a plane tomorrow to begin the negotiations. Well he was telling Mr. Swenson how he hated to board little Fluffy. Little Fluffy is his Persian cat and apparently she hates it when he is away and will sulk the entire time when she is boarded. Well anyway, Mr. Putney was so worried about Little Fluffy because apparently he could be away for at least a week and he was wondering if Mr. Swenson would let her stay there. Well of course he couldn't because Mr. Swenson has Rudy. Rudy is Mr. Swenson's Pet Parakeet in case you didn't know. Well anyway, Little Fluffy could eat Rudy so well we couldn't have that so Mr. Swenson suggested that I could look after Little Fluffy. He put me on the phone with him and before I knew it, Mr. Putney began telling me all about all his houseplants and his outside critters that he feeds and well the next I knew, he had hired me to help him out while he is away."

"Rudy Dear?" Dotty asked Amanda. "Little Fluffy? Amanda, does that mean that you will be staying there instead of here?"

"Yes Mother, I'm sorry to drop all of this on you this way but I wasn't expecting Dean to be here when I got here so I figured we could talk about it after the play. In any case, I wouldn't be able to go with you Dean because I already promised Mr. Putney. I hope you understand."

Dean was still trying to catch up with Amanda's ramble but he absently nodded his head to let her know it was okay.

"Well I'm disappointed Amanda because we never seem to have any time together and I was hoping this would be a good opportunity for us."

"Well Dean, I could really use the money. After all it is Christmas time and I still need to finish buying gifts for the boys and money isn't really plentiful so I have to take these jobs when I'm offered them."

"Amanda, I've told you before, when we get married, I will take care of you and the boys and your Mother. You won't need to work then."

"Dean, we've talked about this before. I'm not ready to be married again. Please don't pressure me, especially in front of my family." Amanda said quietly.

"No pressure. I'm just reminding you that things could be different if you would take me up on my offer." Dean said with a smug look.

Dotty realized that Amanda was getting upset so she said "Well let's get to the play so we don't miss the opening act, shall we? JAMIE, PHILLIP, let's go!" She yelled up the stairs.

Jamie and Phillip ran down the stairs and everyone piled into the Station Wagon for the trip to the school where the play was being put on. Jamie and Phillip kept up a stream of conversation talking about various girls that were in the play. It was good that they did since all the adults had nothing to say to each other. They arrived at the play and Amanda found herself smiling again as she found out that the play was called "Christmas in the Land of Oz" They all took seats together near the front and soon the play helped ease the tension among the adults. The wicked witch was the Grinch as she stole Christmas from Munchkinland. All the characters from Oz had to work together to bring back Christmas. Suzy played Dorothy and did a really good job. Toto was a stuffed animal that looked more like a beaver than a dog. In the play, the Tin Man recovered his sense of humor, the lonely Lion found a lady companion, and Dorothy found the spirit of Christmas to take back to Kansas for Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. It was a lot of fun and even the boys ended up enjoying it. Phillip and Jamie rushed back stage afterward to congratulate Suzy and the rest of the girls while the adults exchanged kind words to the Mothers' of the young actresses.

By the time they headed back to Maplewood Drive, everyone was in a good mood and laughing about different parts of the play. Dotty had put a chicken into the oven to roast while they were gone and they came home to find that it was perfectly cooked. They all enjoyed a nice dinner and then the boys went upstairs to get their homework ready since the next morning was Monday. Dotty disappeared so that Amanda and Dean could have some time alone. Dean stood in the doorway and watched Amanda finish doing the dishes and then suggested that they watch a show on TV. Amanda really didn't want to but decided it was best to humor Dean for a little while since she knew he was still upset that she wouldn't go to Kansas with him. They sat next to each other on the couch while Dean watched a popular sitcom and Amanda became lost in her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she was going to be Victoria Greenwich again. She was nervous about pulling it off for a second time but it was fun to pretend to be something that she would never be. She especially wouldn't mind being able to wear the nice jewelry again. This time it would be different since she had to convince a woman that she was someone she wasn't and women were much harder to fool than men but she hoped she could pull it off. Lee seemed to have a lot of faith in her ability to do it. She smiled thinking about how Lee actually asked her to be on this case. There was no comment about it being Billy's idea this time. She had a feeling that this time had really been Lee's idea. Of course the last time she was Victoria, she almost died and Lee did warn her that this time could be more dangerous too. She was determined to do a good job though.

"Amanda? Are you okay?"

"What?" Amanda asked as she realized that Dean had called her name a few times.

"You were like a million miles away. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry Dean. I just have so much to get done before I can leave tomorrow. I think we should call it an early evening. Do you mind?"

"No, I should get going. I have an early flight. Amanda, I should be back in a week. I definitely will be back before Christmas. We're still going to celebrate it as a family together, right?"

"Of course we are." Amanda said with a smile. They quickly embraced and Dean gave Amanda a quick peck on the cheek as she walked him out to his car.

"Well have fun with the cat and houseplants." Dean said.

"Yeah, thanks. I hope your cousin heals quickly." Amanda said. Dean put his sports car in gear and did a U Turn in the middle of the road and drove away as he waved goodbye to her.

Amanda shook her head as he left. Good ole reliable Dean. She really didn't know how she was going to break up with him but she knew that sometime after Christmas, she needed to find a way. There just wasn't any magic between them and it wasn't fair to him for her to keep giving him hope that she would marry him. She would not do it during Christmas though. That would just be cruel. She soon realized that she was standing outside in the cold so she turned and headed back into the house. She had some pretend packing to do so that her Mother didn't question why she would be staying someplace without any of her things.

 **TBC**


	22. Chapter 22 - A Matter of Trust

**Chapter 22 - A Matter of Trust**

After Amanda left, Lee was going to head to his apartment to look over the files but he kept thinking about how was going to find Larisa? The information in those files was bound to be old information. Lee knew what he had to do; but he just hated doing it. He finally gave in though and headed the Porsche to a seedy part of town. He tried to avoid this part of town as much as possible and it definitely wasn't a spot that he would take Amanda but he knew that the only way he would find the person who could help him was to go there now. Lee cringed as he parked his car on a street that he knew wasn't safe. He should have grabbed a car from Leatherneck. He didn't like leaving the Porsche in this area at all. As he got out of the Porsche, he couldn't help but notice all the cigarette butts that were laying all over the sidewalks along with broken glass from beer bottles. The streets themselves were eerily empty of people. Lee quickened his step to the building on the left. He knocked 3 times and then pushed the door open. A young lady who was barely wearing anything met him at the door. "Aww, Mr. Steadman. I see you came back for that back massage I promised you. I've got one ahead of you but then we can get started."

"Thanks Sylvia but I'm afraid I don't have time. Is your boss around?"

"Of course, he is always around. The girls end up losing paying customers because he decides it is his turn. I think he is with Jennifer right now." Sylvia said with a tone of anger in her voice.

"Where can I find him?" Lee asked.

"Room 312, at the top of the stairs."

Lee quickly climbed the stairs and knocked on Room 312. He could hear noises coming from inside the room. It was not something he wanted to hear but he didn't have time to waste so he pounded louder.

"Damn it, we are busy in here." A male voice said inside.

"I don't really care, Augie. Get out here now!" Lee said with authority.

A few minutes later Augie opened the door and was wearing only a pair of black briefs. "Oh Geeze Lee, come on. I was in the middle of, you know, you can't just come in here whenever you want and expect me to be at your beck and call."

"Augie, do you want me to go to other contacts instead of you and cut you out of the action?"

"Of course not Lee, it's just when a man is in the middle of things, you can't expect him just to stop if you know what I mean."

"Augie, are you going to be long? I really need to get some paying customers" Jennifer yelled from inside the room.

"Jennifer, I'll be with you in a minute. You know I'll make it up to you darling." Augie yelled in to Jennifer.

"Augie, I don't have time for this. First off, the longer I stay here, the more of a chance that I'm going to get nervous about being in your whorehouse and decide I need to call the police about it so they don't think I'm part of any of this. Secondly, I need information now. Is there a private area we can go talk?"

"Sure thing Lee, follow me" Lee led him down to the basement and into a dark storage room and closed the door behind them. "Now, what can I do for you" He asked as he flicked on the light hanging from the ceiling.

"I need some information. I'm sure you have heard of Larisa Yudin?"

Augie gave Lee a pained expression. "Don't mess with her Lee. She's dangerous."

"I know. Augie, where does she hang out these days?"

"Lee I'm pretty sure she knows you. You aren't going to be able to hang out with her."

"Augie! Just answer the question."

"Well Lee, I think this is pretty important information. Now, Jennifer is going to be pretty upset with me for taking up her time so she can't have any clients. I'm going to need to take care of her."

Lee glared at Augie and then pulled a wad of money out of his front left pocket. He counted out $50 and gave it to him.

"Well I was thinking that this information was worth a little more than that." Augie said.

"Don't push it." Lee warned.

"Okay, Okay. Larisa likes to hang out at Josephine's. It's a first class Night Club over on Vermont Avenue."

"Great, any contacts there?"

"I have one. He's the bartender." Augie admitted.

"Great! I need his help" Lee said.

"Well that's going to cost you" Augie suggested while being prepared for Lee to clobber him.

Lee glared at him again and sighed and then said "How much?"

"I think I can give you a discount price since we are friends Lee. How about $250."

"How about I give you a hundred and don't report your little sex operation?" Lee said.

"Oh, a $100 is good." Augie agreed.

"So how do I locate this bartender?" Lee asked.

"Easy, I know exactly where he is." Augie said with conviction.

Lee looked skeptical and said "How?" Augie immediately blushed and Lee understood.

"He's with one of the girls isn't he?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, his time must be just about up." Augie said as he looked at his watch.

They quickly left the storage room and made their way to the front where a good looking, balding man was just putting his jacket on.

"Howard, I have a friend I need to introduce you to." Augie said.

Howard looked like a deer caught in headlights. "I'll deny everything" he said quickly.

"Howard, it's okay. This is my friend Lee. He's cool with everything here but he needs your help. Why don't you come with us and he can explain."

They made their way back to the storage room and closed the door after making sure that no one had followed them.

"Are you a cop?" Howard asked.

"No, I'm a Federal Agent." Lee volunteered.

"Oh geeze, AUGIE! Is this how you repay me for helping your business all these months? You know I've been sending you clients and now you sic a Federal agent on me? Thanks a lot pal." Howard said in a whiny voice.

"It's not like that" Augie tried to comfort Howard. "I've known Lee a long time. I help him out and he overlooks certain things."

"Oh yeah, so you aren't going to arrest me?" Howard asked.

"Not if you help me. I need you to do me a few favors."

"What kind of favors?" Howard asked skeptically.

Lee explained to him about needing to meet Larisa. Howard agreed to serve them alcohol that really just looked like the real thing but was actually watered down. He also agreed to spin a tale for Larisa about Lee and Amanda. Lee told him that Amanda's name would be Victoria and that Larisa likely knew him so he had to be careful about her recognizing him so he suggested that Howard not mention any names if he could help it. Howard realized that this was probably not going to be enough so he suggested that he arrange for Lee to meet a contact in the bathroom of a French Restaurant that was near the club. This contact would help out too but could also deliver messages back and forth between Lee and Howard. In no time, the plan was in place and Howard hurried off.

"Can I trust him?" Lee asked Augie.

"Sure Lee, just as much as you trust me."

"That's not a very comforting thought" Lee said as he headed out to the Porsche. It was late and tomorrow would be a long day so he decided to skip looking at Larisa's files and head to bed. He was leaving a lot in Howard's hands to pull off for him, the whole thing made him a little queasy. The only good thing was that his Porsche hadn't been touched by anyone while he was inside Augie's place.

 **TBC**


	23. Chapter 23 - A Night on the Town

**Chapter 23 - A Night on the Town**

Lee realized that Amanda couldn't be driving a Station Wagon as Victoria Greenwich so he waited outside the house that they were using and waited for her to arrive the next morning. As soon as she pulled up, he jumped into her car and directed her to drive a mile or so away from the area to a car storage place. He had rented a car garage that morning and had her stow the car inside. It would be safe there and it would be out of sight and out of mind. As they left the garage after Lee locked up the garage, a limo pulled up to take them both back to the Greenwich house. Since Lee would be acting as Amanda's boyfriend this time, he couldn't be the limo driver too. He needed to be near her in case anything went wrong so being the driver as a cover wasn't good enough this time.

Agent Carlson was happy to play the part though and had always had a fondness for Amanda. He was among several agents who wanted to ask her out but the rumor was that Scarecrow wasn't letting anyone near her. Lee never seemed to be far from her so Carlson could only assume that the rumor was true. After he dropped them off, he pulled past the house and parked the limo. Meanwhile, Amanda and Lee went inside. Lee knew that Amanda hadn't been fond of her "staff" the last time so he got Beth and Stephen to take the parts of maid and butler this time. They were both good people and didn't look down on Amanda and before long Amanda felt very at ease with them.

Lee brought her upstairs and showed her the clothes they had picked out. Since they were trying to impress Larisa instead of Delano, she now had fashionable pant suites and expensive looking skirts, tops and dress coats. The computer had created a slightly different profile for Victoria Greenwich this time which would make it easier for Amanda to remember her cover. Victoria was adopted when she was 6 years old to English parents who sadly died when she was 18 in a car crash. She inherited their home and money and lifestyle. Her adopted parents had liked the finer things in life and they had always thrown lavish parties for their rich friends. Her father had been the CEO at a GM Plant and had made a killing during his time there. Victoria had been left with a nice trust fund and no one to share it with. Then one day, she had met Lee who was at a masquerade party put on by some big shots from Gulf Oil. They found a mutual attraction with each other and he asked her out to dinner. It didn't take long for them to form a bond since both their past circumstances had left them not trusting others. Victoria was rarely seen without Lee but she did most of the talking and Lee seemed to be quiet and shy and a good listener. He was always dressed in fine suits and was a good dancer. Lee had also lost his parents at a young age but he had managed to survive. He loved to gamble and seemed to have a lot of luck with it. Before meeting Victoria, he had gone to the Casino in Atlantic City and had broken the bank playing Blackjack. The rumor was that he walked out of the casino that night with over a million dollars. They both enjoyed going to upscale nightclubs and Lee had begun to introduce Victoria to the gambling scene.

"So what do you think?" Lee asked after reading their profiles out loud.

"They sound believable. So Lee, how do we know which nightclub to find her at?"

"Well yesterday I paid a visit to an informant of mine by the name of Augie and he told me that her favorite nightclub is the one over on Vermont Avenue at a place called Josephine's."

"What makes that one so special?" Amanda asked.

"It is where she makes her contacts and where her associates hang out." Lee answered.

"Oh. Lee, if she knows all the people who go to that nightclub, why won't she be suspicious that we suddenly show up there?"

"Well I was talking to Augie and he knows the bartender so he set up a meeting with him. Augie and I met with Howard yesterday afternoon and he is going to help with our cover. I'm supposed to meet a contact of his when we go out to dinner so he can help with our cover. We are going to go and have fun tonight, just dancing and making a big scene to make sure we are noticed. Howard and this contact are going to make sure that Larisa knows that we have money and connections and like a little excitement and that there was too much heat at the Nightclub we normally go to. He intends to weave a good story so that she is at least interested in talking to us. We'll see how it goes. I am pretty sure after tonight that she will check us out. If she decides to check our covers, then she will be talking to all agency people and we'll know. If the fish takes the bait, than it will be our job to reel her in." Lee didn't feel that there was any need to tell her how he got any of that information.

Amanda stared at Lee for a moment and then said "So do we have a plan or are we winging this?"

"Amanda! It is not professional to call a technique "winging it". We are merely trying to - "

Amanda cut him off before he could finish and say "hope we get lucky."

"Amanda!" Lee said with a shake of his head. "Okay, so some of this will be getting lucky. Can you please stay positive about it though, huh?"

"Oh sure, I can stay positive especially now that I know we are mostly winging it."

Lee sighed and said "Okay fine. I'm going to go look over Larisa's files some more. Do you want to join me downstairs and help me look them over or what do you want to do?"

"I'm going to freshen up a bit and then I'll meet you downstairs." Amanda said. She was grateful that she would have a few minutes to look her room over.

Lee went downstairs and made his way into the study. He sat down with the files that he had printed of Larisa and began reading through them. The first two were when she had first come to America and was pretty green at her job. She had been pretty sloppy but still had managed to infiltrate one of the leading Navy bases where she convinced one of the enlisted men to give her the plans for a super Submarine that the US Government had built and was secretly testing. She then boarded a flight at Dulles before anyone was aware of it and less than 6 months later, Russia had a similar Submarine in the works and would be testing its nuclear missile capabilities soon. In the second case, she had an affair with an Army General and had walked off with a pretty complete list of high ranking military officials. The General not only lost his family but was court martialed and found guilty for treason. Meanwhile, Larisa had a list of potential victims.

Larisa had stayed away for 2 years after that mission but then she was back. It didn't take her long to get involved with a young advanced college Grad who had just been accepted into a exploratory space program. She was able to gather quite a bit of intelligence on this program before quietly heading back to Russia. Over and over again, she had just quietly gotten off a flight somewhere in the US, gone straight to her target, gotten involved with some man who could help her and then walked back onto a plane and no one was the wiser until the news came out of Russia that she had made fools of the Americans again.

Larisa was in her 30's now though and wasn't the cute 20 year old that got a man's attention so quickly. She was having to work a little harder obtaining things that was essential for her Russian government but she definitely was still a beautiful woman. There were pictures of her in the file and Lee stared at her and couldn't help but let his mind wander to when he had met her. He shook his head to clear the memory and continued looking at the files. The one thing that was in common in all her cases was that she seduced a man and got anything and everything she wanted from him. Lee knew firsthand how seductive the woman could be and when she set her sights on a man, he usually couldn't seem to fight against the spell she weaved. Lee wondered if Larisa would be willing to work with a woman. Since he needed to stay low keyed, this assignment had to be all Amanda. Somehow Amanda had to convince Larisa to trust her and work with her, otherwise, the whole thing could go south quickly. He didn't want to waste too much time if Larisa would have nothing to do with Amanda. He pondered about it and then came to the conclusion that Amanda did have a chance if they played this game correctly because this mission wasn't about obtaining information; Larisa was trying to obtain weapons and drugs. That could make all the difference. She might enjoy using a woman for a change to take the fall for her. Especially a woman like Amanda who could go up against Larisa's looks and likely win.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Amanda come downstairs. He just suddenly felt like he was being watched and he picked his head up and his eyes made contact with her soft brown eyes. They stared at each other for a moment and he couldn't help but feel a connection to her. How did this woman get into his head so much. He gently shook his head to break the contact and asked "Are you hungry?"

Amanda smiled and said "I had breakfast before I came but I could use a cup of coffee. Should I go make us up a pot?"

"That's what we have a maid for" Lee jokingly responded. As if on cue, Beth arrived with hot cups of coffee for them both. Amanda sat down in a chair across from Lee and asked "So did you find anything in her files?"

"I found that she likes to seduce handsome men so she will likely be all over me." Lee said with a glint in his eye.

"Oh, so should I play the jealous girlfriend or tell her she can have you since 'the sex with you was never any good anyway' " Amanda teased back as she referred to when she played his ex-wife when they were trying to find Alexi's parents and Amanda almost blew Lee's cover.

"Amanda!" Lee shook his head as he laughed as he realized she had gotten him back again. He quickly changed the subject and asked Amanda "How did it go with your family? Were they okay with you being away for a little while?"

Amanda became somber for a moment and said "Yeah, they weren't happy about it but I explained that I needed the money for Christmas so they understood."

Lee nodded. He knew it was hard for her to be away from her family. Hopefully this case wouldn't take too long and she could be home to begin preparing for Christmas.

They spent the rest of the afternoon looking through Larisa's files but didn't see anything else that would help them. As it neared 4pm, Lee suggested that they go dress for dinner and that he would meet her back downstairs at 6pm.

"So I'm guessing we are going someplace where I should be dressed up?"

"Yeah, pretty much anytime you leave the house now, you will need to be Victoria. Is that okay Amanda?"

"Sure, and what am I calling you?" She asked with a smile.

"Why Lee of course." He answered.

"Oh No, we should have a much more sophisticated name for you. How about Edward?"

"Edward?" Lee asked.

"Sure, like King Edward." Amanda replied.

"Or you could just call me the King." Lee said as his dimples showed and he winked.

"Don't push your luck" Amanda said as she chuckled at his expression.

"Okay, if you want me to be Edward, then I will be Edward." Lee said. "Let me go make a quick phone call so I can get some fake ids with the name and some background in place while you go upstairs and begin to get ready."

As Amanda went upstairs, Lee headed to the phone to make a call to Leatherneck. He knew that he could trust him to get this done quickly. Edward? Where did she come up with these things?

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Amanda headed back up to her room. She had enjoyed checking out her wardrobe earlier and of course the jewelry box. She knew exactly which outfit she was going to wear tonight. She had noticed it earlier. It was a red cocktail dress full of ruffles and showed off her curves perfectly. She had enjoyed playing the part of Victoria Greenwich a short time ago and she couldn't believe that she got to play make believe as her again. She climbed the stairs slowly and heard Lee talking to someone about getting ids and cards in the name of Edward. She then heard him pause and say "Lewis." She smiled as she realized that he just made his full name Edward Lewis. She knew he never liked to differ much from Lee Stetson so this was a big move for him. She couldn't help but be a little excited that he had asked her to work this case with him. She knew that he said that there wasn't anyone else but it was just a couple of weeks ago that he was pushing her to quit the agency. Maybe he was finally starting to accept her. Then she remembered that he had warned her that Larisa was very dangerous. She shuddered a little thinking about it but then hurried up the stairs to her room. It didn't take long for her to take a shower and change into the dress. She fixed her makeup and then added a beautiful diamond necklace to her neck along with the matching diamond bracelet. She added the matching earrings and then took a long look of herself in the mirror. She hoped that she looked okay and that Lee would approve.

She headed down the stairs just as the doorbell rang. Leatherneck walked inside and upon seeing Amanda descending the stairs, he just stood there staring at her with his mouth open. Lee came out of the other room and looked to see what Leatherneck was staring at. Both men watched as she slowly walked down the stairs to join them.

"Mrs. King, you look beautiful" Leatherneck said. Lee couldn't take his eyes off her though he finally forced himself to look at Leatherneck. "Do you have something for me? He said a little abruptly.

"Sure, here it is" Leatherneck said as he handed Lee the envelope without taking his gaze off Amanda. Lee grabbed the envelope and said "Okay, thank you. You probably have someplace you need to be, right?" Lee was not happy to see Leatherneck ogling Amanda like that and he didn't hide it in his tone when he spoke to him..

"Hi Leatherneck" Amanda said cheerfully. "That was very quick work putting together Lee's identity for us. Thank you."

Lee cleared his throat and said "Yes, very nice. Now Amanda and I have to get going. Thanks again Leatherneck. Bye now." Lee said as he pretty much shoved the man out the door.

"Lee that was rude. He drove all the way over here, you could have been nicer."

"Amanda, he was undressing you with his eyes. I'm shocked that it didn't bother you."

"Well it's nice to be noticed now and then." Amanda replied.

"Yeah, right. Okay, well let's get going. Our reservations are for 7pm and I have to meet my contact at 8:30pm." Lee said while quickly changing the subject.

Meanwhile Amanda couldn't help but stare at Lee. He was dressed in a sexy black suit with a red tie but she barely recognized him. His hair was longer than normal and was as black as the Ace of Spades. It looked like he had gained about 20 pounds and he had a goatee.

"Lee, your disguise is amazing. How did you get all the extra hair?"

"Do you like it?" Lee asked with a smile.

"No, not really but it definitely would fool me."

"Amanda! It just so happens that Stephen is one of the Agency's best disguise artists. I think he did a pretty good job. I kind of like the goatee so I'm thinking about growing one out for real."

Amanda wrinkled her nose and said "Well maybe you will get bored with it by the time the assignment is over."

"Let's go." Lee said impatiently.

Lee escorted Amanda to his car. The Porsche was perfect for their cover story so he decided not to use the limo. He drove them to an upscale French restaurant and they had dinner together. After dinner, Lee excused himself to go to the bathroom. As he entered, he saw a handsome young man washing his hands at the sink and he went to the sink next to him and turned on the water. "It feels so good to be able to wash my hands" Lee said and the man responded "Try a little soap, it has a good scent to it."

Lee nodded and said "Are we alone?"

"Yes, I have made contact with her myself and she has agreed to cut me into some of the action."

"Do you think she suspects anything?"

"I don't think so. She was all over me, she could barely keep her hands off me."

"Is your cover good?" Lee asked.

"Yes, I spent time in jail recently after a huge drug deal went bad. I took the fall so that the people in charge could walk. I'm making sure she knows that I play high stakes but that I'm willing to take a chance and let others walk again if something goes wrong but I expect a big payout if it goes off as planned."

"Good. Will you be at the club tonight?"

"Absolutely. I want you and Amanda to go in and dazzle everyone with your dancing. Then when you sit down, I'm going to join you and we are going to act like old friends, okay? I was thinking that we could say that we met while playing at the casinos together."

"Sounds good."

"What name are you using?"

"I'm going by Edward Lewis and Amanda is Victoria Greenwich."

The man stared at Lee for a few seconds and then said "Okay, those are different."

Lee sighed and said "I know I usually use a variation of my own name but Amanda had played the Victoria Greenwich cover before so it made it easy to reprise her role and she insisted that I be someone with a little more flair than Lee Steadman." Lee laughed at the thought.

"Okay, well my cover is Ted Grant. We should probably get out of here before anyone notices that we have been gone for a while. I'll see you shortly."

"Thanks" Lee said as he shut off the faucet and wiped his hands on a towel. Lee let Ted leave first and then after a few minutes, he followed. Lee headed back to the table where Amanda was waiting for him.

She smiled as he approached and said "Dear, I can't decide if I want dessert or not."

"Well Darling, we are going dancing after this so I wouldn't want you to get sick if you eat too much. It is your choice though. We could split something." Lee said with a smile back.

"No, you are right. I shouldn't indulge. Are we ready to go?"

Lee motioned for the waiter so he could get the check. After paying the bill, he escorted Amanda out to his car which was just then being driven by the valet to meet them. As Lee drove them to Josephine's, Amanda asked what Lee had learned in the bathroom. He explained about Ted and that it was really important for them to come across as a fun couple. She nodded her head and they rode the rest of the way in silence. As Lee eased the Porsche into the parking garage of the Nightclub, Amanda couldn't help but feel nervous. All of this was more than she was used to and she hoped that she wouldn't blow their cover. Lee was used to these expensive places but Amanda led a simple life in the Suburbs. She wasn't used to any of this. Lee sensed her nervousness and squeezed her hand. She looked up at him and he smiled and said "Don't worry, I'll be right there. You will do fine. You pulled off being Victoria Greenwich before, right?"

"Yeah, but that seemed different."

"It wasn't. Not really. You got this Amanda. Just follow my lead, okay?"

Amanda smiled and said "Okay Lee."

He helped her out of the car and then put his arm around her waist. As they were walking he suddenly whispered "You look fantastic by the way. All eyes are going to be on you anyway."

"That's not really helping Lee." Amanda said.

"You will do fine. Loosen up a little bit. If you feel tense, you will look tense."

"Okay, I'll try."

They entered the nightclub and Lee paid the expensive cover charge to get in. He then took her by the hand and walked her to an empty table. Almost immediately a waitress came over and asked them if they wanted a drink. Lee ordered a bottle of wine and they sat down. He continued to hold her hand though he could tell she was embarrassed by the gesture. After the wine arrived, he poured them both a glass and let Amanda drink some of hers so she could calm her nerves. The music was pretty loud which made it hard to talk. After a short time, Lee decided that they really needed to get things rolling. He stood up and gently pulled Amanda to her feet. He never let her hand go as he guided her out onto the dance floor. The music had a good beat so they both began dancing in front of each other. Lee soon lifted Amanda up in the air and then dropped her only to catch her as she went under him. They were really doing some crazy dancing and the people made a circle around them and began clapping in time to the music. Lee wasn't sure he could keep it up but thankfully the song ended and both he and Amanda were out of breathe so they took their seats. Meanwhile, the crowd cheered as they walked back to their table and Lee was slapped on the back several times by men in the crowd. They continued dancing like this for the first hour and then Lee was relieved when Ted finally came to their table acting drunk and asked if he could sit down.

"Edward my old friend. It has been awhile since I have seen you. I thought it was you out there dancing with this beautiful lady. I'm sorry beautiful lady, I didn't catch your name." Ted said very loudly to make sure the whole place heard him.

"Hi Ted! Come sit down and have a drink with us. This is my girlfriend Victoria."

"Hi Ted." Amanda said with a smile. "How do you know my Edward?"

Ted began chuckling and said "Edward and I met at a gambling casino. I always said he brought me bad luck because whenever he was around, he would win big and I would win nothing."

"Awww, those were the days." Lee said with a glint in his eyes. "I think you always brought me good luck because I won the most when you were around."

Ted and Edward shared a chuckle over that one.

"Let me buy a round of drinks for all of us." Ted suggested. Lee pulled out the bottle of wine that was chilling and found it to be nearly empty so he agreed. Howard was doing a great job making it look like the 3 of them were on their way to becoming very drunk. He personally delivered the bottle of Scotch that Ted asked for and poured some into each of their glasses. Victoria sat back and listened as Ted and Edward loudly discussed the past. Ted made sure to point out that Edward enjoyed a good challenge and that he was always trying to find a way to make the easy money. They began making plans to meet up at a casino downtown tomorrow evening.

"Darling, I'm really sorry but I'm afraid that Ted has helped get me a little too tipsy for any more of our energetic dances." Edward told Victoria.

"That's okay dear. It looks like I'll be driving us home tonight." Victoria said. "Ted, it was really nice to meet you and I look forward to tomorrow evening but I think I should probably get Edward home. We have the Porsche so I can't offer you a lift. Will you be okay?"

"Sweetie, the pleasure was all mine. I will be taking a cab." Ted said as he kissed Victoria's hand. They all stood up and began making their way to the front. Lee had spotted Larisa earlier and he was thrilled to see that she couldn't take her eyes off from them. He was pretty sure she was going to take the bait and he didn't sense that she recognized him at all. Lee made sure that he staggered as he walked and Ted tripped over a young lady's purse on the way out. They walked outside and started walking to the parking garage. Ted meanwhile flagged down one of the waiting cabs but as he was walking towards it, he said quietly "Rollins Park, 9am tomorrow." Lee nodded in agreement and put his arm around Amanda as they strolled to the garage to get Lee's car. "There's a problem" Amanda said.

"What's the matter? I think it went off pretty well."

"I can't drive your car. I can't drive a stick. I was never good at driving a stick. How are we going to convince them if I can't drive a stick?"

Lee stopped walking and looked at her. "Are you serious?"

Amanda said under her breathe "I'm positive. I can't drive it. I can't drive your car."

Lee sighed and said "Okay, follow my lead."

When they got to the car, Lee began to get into the driver's side and Amanda said "Why Edward, you know you are too drunk to drive."

"I am not. I can tell you right now that I'm perfectly fine to drive. Now get in and let's get out of here. You promised me some extracurricular activities tonight and I want to get home before you suddenly develop a headache."

"If I have to ride with you, I will likely be sick."

"Victoria, just get into the car. Come on, let's go." Edward urged. Amanda pretended to hesitate but then got into the car. Lee put the car in gear and raced out of the garage He continued to act drunk until they were a mile or so away and then he slowed down and began driving normally. They both let out a sigh of relief that there wasn't any police officers around who might have blown their covers.

They drove the rest of the way back to the Greenwich house in silence, both thinking about their evening. Lee would never admit it but it had been fun to be out with Amanda. He had noticed all the looks from the other men in the room too. She was definitely a beautiful woman. He reminded himself again that she was just a housewife though and that this was not a life she would want to live. They soon pulled up to the house and Lee helped Amanda out of the car. They went inside and Amanda said "Lee, I hope you don't mind, but I'm exhausted. I think I will call Mother before it gets any later and go to bed."

"That's fine Amanda. Do you want to come to the park with me tomorrow to meet Ted?" He paused and then quickly added "It will help my cover if you do."

"Sure, I mean if it helps your cover then I should definitely be there." Amanda said.

"Good, I'll pick you up around 8am. Good night Amanda."

"Good Night Lee."

Amanda climbed the stairs while Lee watched her go. The dress looked amazing on her for sure. Stephen came out as he watched Amanda go up the stairs and said with a glint in his eye "I'm surprised you aren't following her up there. The great Scarecrow letting a beautiful woman go to bed alone. That's not the reputation that I've heard about you."

Lee glared at Stephen for a moment and said "Amanda is my partner. There's nothing between her and I. Now help me take off this getup."

Lee quickly headed for the den while Stephen stared after Amanda and shook his head. He had to admit that if he was in Scarecrow's shoes, there would definitely be something between him and Amanda.

He turned and followed Lee into the Den and helped him remove his disguise. Stephen told him that Billy had called and wanted to talk to him before he left.

Lee dialed Billy's home number. "Hi Lee." Billy said.

"How did you know it was me?" Lee asked.

"No one else would call my house at this hour without a damn good reason." Billy said as he chuckled. "How did it go tonight?"

Lee quickly filled him in and told him that he would be meeting Ted in the morning at the park and hoped to put together a game plan to connect with Larisa at the Casino tomorrow night.

"How did Amanda do?" Billy asked.

"Amanda?" Lee's mind flashed to her body fitted snugly in the red cocktail dress and then shook his head and said "She did okay. She's going to come with me to the park tomorrow just in case we meet anyone"

"That sounds like a good idea. Okay, well go home and get some sleep and let me know if you need anything. I have Francine keeping tabs on Miguel. So far he is keeping pretty low keyed though."

"I'm not surprised. I have a feeling that he is going to let Larisa do all his dirty work with this one just in case it doesn't succeed."

"And it won't" Billy said.

"Right" Lee agreed and then said good night and hung up the phone. Stephen had left so Lee let himself out the back door and locked it behind him.

It was going to be a long day tomorrow and he needed to get home and go to bed in hopes that he could get a little sleep.

 **TBC**


	24. Chapter 24 - Making Plans

**Chapter 23 - Making Plans**

Amanda couldn't believe how well she had slept considering she was in a strange bed. She had enjoyed a nice chat with her Mom before she had retired for the night and found out that the boys had both done well in school that day and had come home bragging about good grades on the tests they had taken on Friday. Amanda felt a little homesick and was sad that she hadn't been there to help her boys celebrate but her mother told her that it was okay and that the boys understood and were expecting some high quality Christmas gifts. Amanda chuckled and said she was working on it.

As she went down the stairs at 7am, she found that Lee was already there so that Stephen could redo his disguise. He was sipping a cup of coffee as Stephen was replacing his goatee. Beth materialized almost immediately and asked Amanda what she wanted for breakfast. She looked at Lee and asked "What are you having?"

"Me? Nothing, just coffee but go ahead Amanda and have whatever you want. We have time."

Amanda asked for pancakes and some sausage and in no time, Beth had a plate of the hot food in front of her. While she ate, Lee took note of her outfit and found it perfect for a walk in the park. She had dressed in a soft blue cotton skirt with a white silky blouse and was wearing flat dress shoes. She had a matching suit jacket to wear for warmth.

A short time later they headed out to Rollins Park to meet Ted. Lee parked the Porsche and then helped Amanda out of the car. They began walking through the park with Amanda's arm through Lee's arm as if they were just a couple out for a stroll. Lee soon spotted Ted sitting on a bench off to the side where it would be easier to hold a private conversation. He steered Amanda towards that direction and as they approached Ted; Lee yelled out "Ted is that you? Why imagine running into you at the park of all places."

"Edward my good man. Nice to see you and Victoria again this morning. Come sit down with me. I was just enjoying the sunlight."

Everyone sat down and Lee asked "Did she take the bait?"

"She was definitely very interested." Ted answered.

"Good."

"Yes, Howard did his job well. He told her that he found out that you will do anything for a buck even if it isn't legal. He told her that you haven't worked a day in your life at a real job but that you have a gambling problem. He made sure to mention that he heard that you were going to the casino tonight. It just so happens that she has a lot of influence at that casino. I have a feeling that given the right amount of time, you are going to find yourself on the losing streak at some point tonight."

"That's perfect. You both have done a great job. I can't thank you enough for all your help."

"No need to thank us. If Miguel and Larisa get their hands on all those guns and drugs, we are all in trouble."

"That's the truth" Lee agreed.

Amanda had been silent the whole time and just listened. Finally she said "I thought you were worried that she would recognize you. If you do all the work, and she gets close to you, aren't you setting yourself up to being discovered? I mean your disguise is good but it isn't that good."

"Amanda might have a point." Ted said. "What is Victoria's back story? How did she get her money?"

"That's perfect!" Lee said.

"What's perfect?" Amanda asked. She was completely confused.

"Victoria has a trust fund. The trust fund only allows her to get so much money each year. The amount is huge but suddenly Victoria latched onto this leech called Edward and he has taken away most of her fund for the year and she isn't due for another payment until February. Meanwhile his gambling is out of control because he has been losing more than winning lately and so he has had to borrow more and more money from loan sharks to continue to gamble. Meanwhile Victoria is heartbroken because she really loves him and she wants to help him and doesn't know how."

"That's brilliant!" Ted said.

"So I somehow tell this to Larisa?" Amanda asked as she was starting to understand.

"Yes, we set it up so that you and Larisa are in the bathroom at the same time and you are all emotional. She's a woman so she should ask you why you are crying and even if she doesn't; I'm sure you can find a reason to tell her. After she hears that the man that you can't live without is in huge debt and that the loan shark is going to hurt him badly if he can't pay it back soon; it might entice her to offer you a way out. If you can pull it off Amanda, it just might work. She has to believe that you are both desperate enough to do anything to get him out of this. It will require some acting but I know you can do this." Lee said

"I think I can. I can definitely give it my best try." Amanda agreed.

"That's the spirit!" Ted said. "I have a friend who can act as the loan shark. I'll have him show up early in the evening and hand out money to several other people that we plant there. When you arrive, wait for a little bit and then approach him and he'll hand over a wad to you. If you don't start losing after an hour, then you will need to begin throwing the games to make it real. I don't know if Larisa intends to get down to business tonight or if they would lure you in with a false sense of security and let you win all night tonight. So my suggestion is to make it look like you are drinking heavily and then after an hour you start acting like you are drunk and begin making bad plays. Even if they were throwing the game, it will be hard to continue if you are throwing it the opposite way."

Amanda nodded her head as she listened and said "It might work"

"It has to work" Lee said. "It's a good plan anyway. Thanks Ted for all your help. We should get back though."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight." Ted said.

Lee and Amanda got up and began strolling back to Lee's car. As they got in, Lee said "Let's head back to the agency. I want to let Billy know what is going on and to see if Francine has any news about Miguel."

"Okay. Do you think it is safe for us to go there?"

"What do you mean? Of course the agency is safe."

"No, I mean that we wouldn't want anyone to question why Victoria is at that building, would we?"

"How would anyone know?"

Well someone could tail you and watch me go in there."

"Amanda! No one is going to tail me. I'm the professional, remember?"

"Alright, alright. It wouldn't be the first time though that you ended up with a tail when you thought you had lost them."

"Amanda!" Lee shook his head as he pulled away from Rollins Park and headed for the agency. He kept more of an eye than normal on who was behind him though just to make sure they weren't tailed. As he pulled up to the agency he assured Amanda that there had been no one following them.

They walked into the agency together and made their way to Billy's office. Billy was happy to see them and couldn't help but stare at Lee's disguise. "Stephen did a really good job with you. I hardly recognized you." Billy said.

"Thanks Billy. I'm glad you approve. We thought we would stop and fill you in on the plan so far." Billy listened intently as Lee explained to him the plan. When he finished, Billy said "I'm glad to hear things are going well so quickly because Francine just got word that they intend to make their move on Friday."

"Friday? That doesn't give us much time Sir." Amanda said.

"I know but I also know you both can work together to infiltrate them before it all happens. They might need more help and that is why Larisa was interested so quickly anyway."

"Billy, do we have any agents that could be posted at the Casino tonight just in case?"

"Sure, we can have a few planted there as customers to help keep an eye on things. Do you expect trouble?"

"No" Lee said as he raked his hand through his hair and began pacing. "I would just feel better for Amanda's safety if there was some extra eyes on the whole thing."

Billy nodded his head and said "No problem. I'm on it. I'll have Francine there too. Why don't you two head out. Tonight is going to come soon enough."

"Thanks Billy" Lee said.

"Good luck" Billy answered.

Amanda was lost in thought as they ended their conversation. "Amanda? Are you okay?" Lee asked.

"I was just thinking. I wonder if Larisa will also have people planted around the casino to keep an eye on things."

"I'm sure she will. Why?"

"Well if she does, do you think it might be smart to maybe stage something more serious?"

"Amanda? What are you talking about?" Lee asked.

"Mrs. King, what did you have in mind?" Billy asked.

"Well instead of just making it look like Lee was broke, why not have the police pop in and make an arrest. They could arrest all of us and bring us downtown and make sure that I got put in a jail cell with Larisa. Since we are women, she would be isolated from the men and her fellow associates. The police could do a convincing job with the men and make it believable while leaving Larisa and me alone. I could play a vulnerable woman without "Edward" and convince her that I needed her help. If any other women are arrested, they could be put somewhere else so that I'm alone with Larisa. It might be more convincing than her finding me in the bathroom."

Billy was smiling as Amanda talked. "I think you might be onto something." Billy said. "What do you think Lee?"

Lee had begun pacing again and he stopped while rubbing his hand under his chin. "It might work. If Amanda could play it right, she could totally convince Larisa. I like it. I know just the police officers to help us out too."

"Frank and Sam" Lee and Amanda said at the same time. Billy raised an eyebrow and asked "Frank and Sam?"

"Yeah, they helped me out a short time ago. Great guys." Lee said. He had played a practical joke on Dean through them.

"Do you think they can do this?"

"Well only one way to find out. Come on Amanda, let's go pay them a visit. I'll call you after we talk to them Billy and let you know if we are all set."

They left Billy's office and headed back out to Lee's car. Soon they were on the way to the police department. They arrived and went inside and were relieved to hear that the two men were on duty and had actually stayed in the office to do paperwork. Lee asked to see them. The two officers soon came out and smiled when they saw Lee and Amanda. "Are you causing more trouble?" Officer Frank asked.

"No, but we need to make it seem like we are." Lee answered and then filled them in on what they had planned. The officers told them to wait a minute and disappeared. Soon Lee and Amanda were ushered into a back conference room where they met with the Chief. They detailed their plan again and asked if they could get the department's help. The chief didn't hesitate in his support.

"You know, I had a friend who was involved with Larisa. He ended up committing suicide rather than face his wife afterward."

"I'm so sorry sir." Amanda said and Lee expressed his sympathies too.

"I can't believe she is still causing trouble in this country. I would do anything to help to get rid of this woman." The Chief said.

They thanked all of them and walked out of the department feeling good that a plan was in place. It seemed like a good plan. What could go wrong?

 **TBC**


	25. Chapter 25 - Best Laid Plans

**Chapter 25 - Best Laid Plans**

Lee dropped Amanda off at the house and had Stephen remove his Edward disguise; then he headed out to find Ted. He needed to make sure he knew of the change in plans. As luck would have it, Lee found Howard at Augie's Palace of Pleasure and he was able to tell Lee where to find Ted. Lee drove to a phone booth and called him and explained to him the new plan. Ted agreed that it was a good idea. Lee then returned to the Greenwich house and found Amanda busy showing Beth how to make her meatloaf.

He spent the afternoon trying to keep occupied by looking at magazines but had a hard time focusing since he was worried about how things would go at the casino. He knew that Amanda would be safe with all the agency people around but he couldn't help but still feel anxious about her part in all of this. Larisa was a murderer and she didn't care who she had to kill. He could only hope that Amanda could be convincing enough.

Soon it was time for him to redo his disguise and for them to get ready. Stephen had his disguise redone in no time and Lee sat down in a chair with a cup of coffee to await Amanda. Amanda came down the stairs wearing a tan pantsuit. Lee couldn't help but muse that she even looked great in this outfit. She had swept her hair back in a bun and was wearing the long dangling diamond earrings. He couldn't help but stare at her as she walked down the stairs but as soon as she picked her head up and looked his way, he immediately pretended that he was looking at his cup of coffee.

As Amanda walked down the stairs, she had to concentrate on avoiding falling while walking in her heels so her head was down. When she finally neared the bottom, she picked her head up and saw that Lee was sitting in a chair near the stairs. He sure did look handsome in his blue suit and white tie. Her ex-husband rarely dressed up so much and he never filled out a suit the way Lee did. She slowed her progress for a moment just so she could enjoy looking at him before he noticed she was there. As she stepped off the last step, she cleared her throat and Lee looked up. Once again she found her eyes locked with his and couldn't deny the jolt of electricity that seemed to pass through them as they looked at each other. She shook her head to clear the connection.

"Are we ready to go?" Lee asked. She noticed that he had shown no affect from this and she once again reminded herself that they came from two different worlds and she was likely just intrigued by the exciting world that Lee had lived in.

"Sure, let's go." She agreed.

Lee got up and guided Amanda out to the limo. What just happened? Why did he feel a connection to this woman by just looking into her eyes? He decided that it was likely because she was off limits so it was making him feel things he shouldn't be. He was glad that he knew how to fake his reaction so that Amanda wasn't aware that she had gotten to him. He shrugged it off and soon they were on the way to the casino.

When they arrived at the casino, Agent Carson got out and held the door for them both to exit the limo. Lee noticed that he seemed to be staring at Amanda's butt as she got out. He decided he should keep an eye on the man in the future.

Lee had decided against putting a wire on Amanda while she was in the casino. However, it had been decided to put a bug in the paddy wagon that would transport Amanda and Larisa to the jail and another bug in the actual jail cell so agents could hear what was being said and to make sure Amanda stayed safe. Lee cautioned Amanda to stay close while in the casino since she would be vulnerable without a wire.

As they entered the casino, Lee looked around. It didn't take long to spot Larisa mingling near the blackjack table so Lee guided Amanda over to it and they sat down. Soon Lee found himself knee deep into the game. At first he found himself winning almost every game but then slowly his luck waned and he was only winning every other game. Then he found himself winning sporadically.

"Sweetie, do you think you should take a break? It looks like you are running low on the money you brought." Victoria said loudly.

"Are you telling me how to gamble? You know you don't know the first thing about gambling. You have to spend money to make money." Edward said as he downed another glass of what appeared to be scotch.

Right on cue a gentleman came over and sat down beside of Lee. As Edward threw down another losing hand of cards, the man said "Hi, my name is Ralph. It looks like your winning streak went south for a little bit. I'm sure it will come back soon though. Do you want to borrow a little extra money to get you by until it does?"

"Ralph, nice to meet you. I was winning big earlier. I know that I just need to give it a few more hands and then everything will turn back around for me. If you could spot me $10,000, I will win it back in no time."

"Well my fees are 25% of the original loan. I've got the money right here." Ralph handed Edward a handful of money. Edward quickly pushed it into his wallet which he had in a pocket inside his suit jacket. Ralph disappeared into the crowd like nothing happened.

Victoria reacted to the exchange and said "Dear, do you think you should be borrowing any more money. Jimmy is still expecting his loan back this week and did you ever pay back Jerry?"

"Darling, you just don't understand how this game works. Now stop fussing at me and sit there and look pretty. That's your job and one I know you do well at. Your Eddy has some serious playing to do."

Edward won a few small games and then without having to do anything, began losing again. Ted joined them and suddenly Edward began winning a few games. He promptly made a comment about Ted bringing him good luck as always and bought them all another round of drinks. It wasn't long before he found that the cards were no longer in his favor. Ted said "Well Edward, I think that our luck is just not holding tonight and maybe we should make it an early night."

"Nonsense, it will turn around at any minute." Edward stated as he gave the dealer another $3000 for chips.

"Edward, I'm not feeling well. I really think we should leave." Victoria said.

"Dear, you can't expect me to leave right when my luck is about to change." In no time, the dealer had cleaned out all of Edward's chips again. Lee knew that Francine was sitting at a table nearby and saw several other agents spread out throughout the casino. The important thing was that Larisa had come up to a table next to theirs and seemed to be enjoying Edward's losing streak. Francine gave a slight nod to Lee so he would be ready.

Suddenly there was a flurry of activity as the doors were shoved open and a number of police officers swarmed the place with guns drawn.

"Okay, everyone; you are under arrest." Officer Frank said.

The owner of the casino rushed over and said "What is going on here? I run a legit business here. There is no reason for it to be treated this way."

"I'm sorry sir, but you will need to come with us and answer some questions." Officer Sam said as the rest of the officers began rounding up every single person inside the casino.

Officer Frank started pushing people toward the door so that his men could direct them out to the waiting Paddy wagons. Meanwhile he strode over to Edward and Victoria and purposely grabbed Edward's arm. "Sir, you need to come with me. I believe we have a warrant for your arrest."

"What are you talking about? I don't have any warrants against me?" Edward exclaimed loudly.

"Edward! Where are they taking you? I need to stay with my boyfriend!" Victoria said.

"I'm sorry m'am. You will have to go with that group there. He's a wanted man."

"Edward what is going on? Wanted for what?"

"I don't know but it will be okay. Do as they say. We'll get our lawyers involved. They can't hold us." Edward assured her.

Soon Amanda found herself being pushed with Larisa out the door and into a Paddy wagon. As soon as they were both inside, the door was closed and they found themselves being transported somewhere. Amanda immediately started acting distraught and upset and began pacing inside the vehicle.

"Oh for God sakes, sit down." Larisa said sharply.

Amanda stopped and looked at her with a shocked expression on her face but then sat down. She placed her head in her hands and sat like that the rest of the trip to the police department. When they reached their destination, the officers led Larisa and Amanda into separate areas where Larisa was searched and both were fingerprinted and then found themselves together again in a cell that was all by itself. By this time, Amanda had used water to make it look like she had been crying and made her makeup run around her eyes. She took a seat on one of the cots and sat looking subdued and distraught.

It was Larisa's turn to pace and she yelled several times that she hadn't gotten her phone call yet and she knew her rights.

Finally she sat down across from Amanda and said "So this must be your first time in jail? You aren't very tough are you?"

"Victoria picked up her head and said "Tough? What do you mean? I'm tough. I'm just worried. Edward has been having such a bad streak at his gambling lately that he has wiped out my yearly trust fund allowance so I don't even have the money to bail us out right now. He keeps saying he is going to get on to another winning streak but so far he hasn't. I just love him so much but I don't know how much more our relationship can take. What am I going to do? I don't know why we were arrested but I don't know how I'm going to even get us out of here."

"Oh honey, that is a problem. Don't you both have jobs? Can you get an advance payment from there?"

"Jobs? I don't think Edward has worked a day in his life. He has a magic ability to win big in the casinos and I never needed to work. Daddy took good care of me before he died by setting up my trust fund. Since I met Edward though, it doesn't seem to carry me through the whole year anymore. I am still 2 months away from my next installment."

Larisa laughed and said "Your boyfriend doesn't seem to have much magic lately. You are in a pile of trouble sugar. That's too bad."

Victoria started to cry again.

"Oh stop your stupid bawling. Crying never helped anyone. Now wipe your face. You look like a mess." Larisa took some toilet paper off the holder and handed it to Victoria. "You know, I might have a way out of this for you if you are interested."

"Really? You have a way out? How?"

"Well I make no promises until I can see what you can do but you might be able to help me with a project I'm in the middle of."

"Oh, Edward and I will gladly help if that gets us out of these jail cells."

"Edward? No, I don't need losers with that kind of bad luck hanging around. In fact, maybe we'll just leave him right in that cell so he can't spend any more money he doesn't have. No, this project just needs you. You can bail him out after we are done if you so desire. If everything works out, you will have plenty of money to do that. What do you say? Will you help me?"

Victoria gulped because she knew that this wasn't the way it was supposed to go. Lee was supposed to be part of the deal. But she also knew that she couldn't throw this opportunity away. After all, this was what they had hoped for. If she didn't agree to do it alone, they might not have another chance to stop Larisa. She gulped again and said "What do I have to do?"

"That's the spirit. I will tell you after we are out. You never know if they have these places bugged or not."

Meanwhile Larisa got back up and started yelling for an officer again. Magically one suddenly appeared and agreed to give her a phone call. He led her away so he could bring her to a phone.

Lee appeared right afterward and Amanda looked up and said "YOU shouldn't be here. What if she comes back?"

"They are going to keep her busy for 10 minutes. Amanda, I don't like you working with her alone. This could really get dangerous. I think you should tell her that you had second thoughts."

"Lee, I can't do that. This might be our only chance. Can't Leatherneck come up with some sort of wire for me to wear or something?"

"I doubt he has anything that she wouldn't spot" Lee said.

Amanda sighed heavily and Lee said "I'll check with him though. Amanda, this plan isn't turning out the way it was supposed to."

"I know but sometimes you just have to wing these things." Amanda said with a twinkle in her eye.

It was Lee's turn to sigh heavily. He told her to be careful and then told her to meet him back at the house as soon as she could. He was going to contact Billy in the meantime and let him know this change of plans.

Sometimes the best laid plans were the ones that failed the fastest. This one couldn't fail though. It meant putting a lot of trust in Amanda's abilities and right now, Lee wasn't comforted by that fact.

 **TBC**


	26. Chapter 26 - Change of Plans

**Chapter 26 - Change of Plans**

After Officer Frank grabbed Edward at the casino, he pulled him toward one of the paddy wagons while Edward fought him the whole way. He finally was able to shove him inside and the van took off towards the police dept. As soon as they were away from the others, Lee slipped out of the handcuffs that had been put onto him.

"How do you think it went?" He asked Frank.

"I think it was convincing. Hang on, I'll turn on the speaker from the vehicle that Amanda and Larisa are in."

They listened as Larisa yelled at Amanda to sit down. Then all went silence and nothing more was said by either of them. Lee worried that this was not going to work in the end. Frank pulled into an underground parking lot and he hurried Lee in through a secret side door and up an elevator that was away from the public traffic. He ushered him into a conference room where others were already watching Larisa being brought into the room to be photographed, searched (privately of course) and finger printed. After all those things were done, she was brought down to a cell where Amanda was waiting for her.

Lee was impressed because Amanda had done something to her makeup to make it look like she had been crying. She then held her own with Larisa as the woman tried to belittle her and tested her. Amanda played her part beautifully but then something went wrong. Lee leaned forward as he saw Larisa's body language change. She was completely in control and she knew it. Then she told Victoria that she only wanted her help and not Edward's. It felt like Lee's heart stopped beating for a minute as he absorbed how much danger he was putting Amanda into.

He got up and began pacing again. "Damn it. She's too good. She knows that Amanda is more vulnerable and easier to control. I'm sure she doesn't intend for her to walk away from thing. I'm betting that Amanda is meant to take the heat for everything while they all slip away. Frank, can you send a man down to take her to make her phone call? I need 10 minutes with Amanda."

"Sure Lee, we'll keep her busy for at least 10 minutes." Frank motioned to one of the other officers to head down to get her. Meanwhile, Frank led Lee down a different way and they waited for Larisa to be led away.

As Lee came out of hiding, he noticed that Amanda looked relieved to see him but then a spark of panic came into her eyes as she worried that Larisa would see him there. He quickly reassured her that her time away was arranged. He then tried to talk Amanda out of this plan. This was not the plan, not the safe plan they had created. But deep down; he knew she was right. They would have to make this plan work if they wanted to catch her. Lee shook his head as he watched Amanda insist that they go through with it. She was truly amazing. This single, divorced mom showed so little fear when he knew she was probably terrified deep down. Why would she do all of this? None of this was worth her sons being without their Mother. In the end, he agreed to let her try. It would be more challenging to keep her safe but somehow he would figure out a way. He needed to call Billy so they could come up with a new plan.

Lee told Amanda to get to the Greenwich house as quickly as she could and then he hurried away before Larisa returned.

He asked Frank to monitor the ladies and to let him know if anything else important was said while he headed back to the agency. He also asked Frank to hold onto them for 2 more hours even if someone showed up to bail them out. Frank eagerly agreed and guided Lee back down to the garage and let him borrow his car. Lee headed back to the agency. He rushed to Billy's office and after a quick knock, entered without waiting for permission.

"It better be important if you are busting into my office." Billy said.

"It is. We have trouble. Larisa is cutting Edward out of the plan and taking just Victoria."

"So Mrs. King did a good job convincing her then?"

"Billy! Damn it, this is Amanda we are talking about. She's going to have to do this all by herself."

"Lee, I think she has proven herself. We'll keep people around as much as possible. We can put a wire on her."

"How? Larisa will find a wire in a second. Billy, come on! You know we can't keep her safe if I can't be there."

"I'll get Leatherneck to figure out a wire for her. You won't be able to be right with her but you can be nearby Lee. It is what we have to work with. We have to make it work."

"I don't like it Billy. There is too much that can go wrong."

"Lee, I have asked you before and I'm going to ask you again. Is there something between you and Mrs. King?"

"Billy! There isn't anything between me and Amanda. I'm just worried. Larisa is a very dangerous person. This is way out of Amanda's league and experience level. Look, I know she has handled herself pretty well up until now. But you really think she can go head to head with the likes of Larisa?"

"I think we won't know until we let her try." Billy suggested.

Lee sighed and ran his hand through his hair and then reluctantly said "Okay, we'll try then. But the first sign of trouble and we pull her."

"Okay. Well I'll get Leatherneck working on that wire. In the meantime, you should go find Mrs. King and begin helping her prepare for this."

Lee nodded and headed out of the office. Along the way Francine tried to stop him but he brushed past her.

"What's up with him now?" She asked out loud to no one. She shrugged and headed back to her desk. It likely had something to do with Amanda and Francine just didn't want to know.

 **TBC**


	27. Chapter 27 - Victoria's Job

**Chapter 27 - Victoria's Job**

After Lee left the cell, Amanda went over to a cot and curled up in a ball on it so she looked like she was in deep despair. A short time later, Larisa was escorted back into the cell and glared at Victoria.

"Girl, you better snap out of this. I need your help and you will do me no good if you are going to be all mopey on me."

Victoria sat up straight and said "I'm sorry, I didn't hear them bring you back. I was just thinking about Edward."

"You really love that loser don't you?" Larisa asked.

"Yeah, I do. He's a good man. I know he has his faults but he takes really good care of me and he's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Well Victoria, you should learn not to depend on any man. They all let you down in the end. My philosophy is to use them and then get rid of them before they drag you down with them. You will learn that eventually too." Larisa said with a smile.

"Oh no, not my Edward. You just don't know him like I do."

"Honey, you'd be surprised what I know. Men are all the same."

A guard walked up followed by a young man. Larisa looked up and said "Oh Daniel, thank goodness you got here. You are going to bust us out of here right?"

"I'm working on it. They said that it could be a couple of hours. I just wanted to come down and see if you were okay."

"I'm fine. This is my new business associate Victoria. Daniel, we need to include her in this bail out deal, okay?"

"Anything you say. You are the boss. I'm going to go back upstairs and try to hurry this along. It won't be long now."

"Okay, hurry." Larisa urged.

Due to Lee's arrangement, it did take 2 hours for the ladies to be released. Larisa suggested they go back to Victoria's house but she claimed that there were workers there and not private enough so Larisa brought her to a hotel downtown and rented a room so they could talk. Amanda was really nervous about going without Lee but she knew she didn't have a choice.

After they were inside the hotel room, Larisa told her to sit down and listen.

"So there is a very important delivery arriving in a few days. I'm thinking that you might be the perfect person to take possession of the shipment. It will be arriving in a small box truck. You can drive a small box truck can't you?"

"I think so as long as it isn't a stick. I can't drive a stick. I'm always reminding Edward that I can't drive a stick and he forgets and tries to get me to drive his car." Amanda tended to ramble when she was nervous.

"It is an automatic."

"So what's in this delivery that I'll be driving?" Victoria asked.

"That's nothing for you to be concerned about." Larisa answered.

"Oh" Victoria said in a defeated voice.

"Look, you want to help Edward right?"

"Yes."

"Well I just need you to drive this truck."

"Where am I driving it to?" Victoria asked innocently.

"I guess I can tell you that much. The truck will be arriving on Friday and you will pick it up down at the docks. I will give you a phone number to call and you will receive instructions on where to drive the truck at that time. You will meet up with some friends of mine and we will all head to New York and get on a ferry that will transport us to Vermont. From VT, we'll just drive to the Canadian border where we will meet some friends who will continue on the journey from there. If you do as I say; I'll pay you a million dollars when we reach the border and you can make your way back here and bail out your boyfriend. That should be enough to bail him out of jail and pay off his gambling debts. So, as you can see, it is easy. If all goes well, you should be back here in about a week. However, if you cross me, you will be floating in Lake Champlain in Vermont. Understand?"

Victoria gulped and said "Understood! I don't intend to cross you."

"Smart woman. Okay, you need to get out of here. I have someone arriving shortly and I'm not ready for the two of you to meet. I'm sure you would like to go home and get cleaned up anyway."

"Oh yes, definitely. Thank you. You know, I just realized that I don't even know your name."

"It's Larisa Dear. Just call me Larisa. Everyone does. Now remember, no one is to know about anything I have told you. I'll stop by your house Thursday afternoon to give you the information you will need in order to take possession of the truck at the dock on Friday morning."

"Don't you need my address? Victoria asked.

"Oh honey, I know where you live. I know everything about you Miss Greenwich." Larisa walked over to the hotel door and opened it for Victoria to walk through.

As Amanda hurried through the lobby of the hotel, she couldn't help but wonder if her cover story was going to hold up if Larisa continued to check her out. No matter what, it was obvious that Lee was right; this woman was very dangerous.

 **TBC**


	28. Chapter 28 - The Secret Meeting

**Chapter 28- A Secret Meeting**

Larisa was glad to have that woman out of the hotel room. She was a weak woman. Larisa didn't like weak women. She had learned while watching her Mother get beat up by her step father that a woman should never depend on any man and that they should never show fear around a man. Victoria let her boyfriend run all over her. No self-respecting woman should ever let that happen and she sure shouldn't let him take advantage of her financially. Larisa had gone to bed with many men but none of them owned her and she didn't answer to any of them. She was in control and that was the only way it worked.

She was a little fonder of some of them though. Some of them helped her keep the power and control that she possessed. There weren't many of them but the one who would be arriving at any moment was one of them. His position in his job had allowed her to get inside information for many years and at the same time allowed her to sneak out of the country when things got too hot. It was amazing that no one had ever put the puzzle pieces together and realized that he was involved with her but that just showed how stupid the US Government was. Men tended to think with their penises and not too often with their brains which meant that it was usually pretty easy to find some sap to help her out. A good romp in the bed sheets and men would do anything for her. There was only one man after all these years who wouldn't. She wanted to discuss that one with her lover tonight. It was time to get her revenge on that man for rejecting her. No man was allowed to do that and get away with it and this man had done it many years ago when she was younger and still learning her craft. She had a reputation to maintain and if word got out that he walked away from her, it could hurt her even after all these years. If nothing more, it already did hurt her ego.

Larisa had told her lover that she intended to rent this room again this night and that she needed him to do a favor for her before he came. She had big plans for him later but for now, she intended to enjoy her time with him. In anticipation of a memorable night, she had ordered room service. About a half hour later, it was delivered along with candles and a bottle of wine. She was just setting the food on the table when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" She asked.

"Baby, it's Rob. Hurry up and let me in. I've been dying to see you all day."

Larissa quickly opened the door and Rob rushed in and swept her off her feet as he slammed the door shut. He began kissing her furiously and then carried her into the bedroom. "I knew I should have waited to order the food" Larisa said as she eagerly kissed him back.

An hour later, they both emerged from the bedroom in hotel robes and found that the food was still somewhat warm so they fed it to each other. At first they talked about nothing important; just about how they missed each other and how great the sex was. Then Larissa asked "So did you bring me the information?"

"Yes, I have his number right here. I don't understand though. Why are you contacting him? I thought that there was nothing between the two of you?"

"There isn't but I have a debt to pay back. What I never told you about the night I met him is that he did take me back to his place and we had sex. I know, I know, you don't like to hear those things but sweetie, he meant nothing to me. You know when we are together; we make love. It was just sex with him. I thought he would be an extra set of ears and eyes to the agency in case you ever changed your mind. But in the end, he had his night of passion and then dumped me. No one dumps Larisa."

"He's dangerous Larisa. That's why I tried to warn him to stay away from you. He could bring you down in the end. He isn't a young kid anymore. He's a hot shot agent who has captured many bad guys AND girls. He's so good that they don't even have him working with a real agent anymore. When his partner was killed, he refused at first to work with anyone but then he enlisted the help of this silly housewife for a delivery that she botched and the next thing we all know, she is working as his new partner."

"Do you know her?"

"No, I've only heard about her and seen her from a distance. The agents talk about how she got the cushy job of working with Scarecrow though. I'm telling you that you should walk away from him. It isn't worth losing everything over the likes of him.

"I don't intend to lose anything. I'm going to call our friend and invite him to meet me at the park tomorrow. I want to send him on a little wild goose chase while meanwhile; we continue with our original plan. I have enlisted the aid of a desperate woman who needs the money to help with the transport. Her boyfriend is a loser, you know the type, yay? Well sadly for him, he won't ever see his girlfriend again because she won't be making a return trip home. I'm thinking that I just might let Scarecrow kill her for us. Of course, he will think he is killing me but how much fun will it be when he realizes he killed an innocent civilian."

Rob laughed with Larisa. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You are so naughty. You still turn me on after all these years" He said.

"Well Agent Carew, I would say the same about you. I do believe that we didn't quite finish in the other room. Would you like to join me?

"I sure would" Agent Carew said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bedroom.

 **TBC**


	29. Chapter 29 - Lee's Secret Past

**A/N Sorry Real Life is getting in the way of me finishing posting this.**

 **Chapter 29 - Lee's Secret Past**

Lee found waiting for Amanda to be almost unbearable. How was he going to sit back and wait for her during the next few days and not know if she was okay or not? He finally gave in and poured himself a glass of Scotch. He had removed his disguise. He wouldn't need to use it now since Edward was out of the picture. Finally just around 7pm, Amanda's cab pulled up outside and she got out and walked up the stairs. Lee jumped up and opened the door before he thought to restrain himself. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Lee. Can I come in?"

"Of course" Lee realized he was blocking the whole doorway. He moved to let Amanda in and she slumped down onto the sofa. Lee looked quickly around to make sure she hadn't been tailed and after not seeing any vehicles around, he closed the door and walked over to stand in front of her.

"So, what is the plan?" Lee asked impatiently.

Amanda outlined what Larisa had told her and Lee started pacing.

"This isn't good. They intend to take the stuff into Canada where I'm sure they will send it off in smaller quantities to Russia. Meanwhile, they will have you right outside the Canadian border. There are no guarantees that they won't change their minds and make you go with them. I still think this is too dangerous Amanda."

"Well it's too late to start over. She trusts me; well as much as Larisa trusts anyone. Lee, I have to do this."

"Okay" Lee said reluctantly. "Billy has Leatherneck working on a wire that you can wear. We'll have people follow the truck along the way with orders not to do anything until you are safe. Amanda, you are really going to have to stay on your toes with this one. I won't be able to get to you very fast if something happens."

"I know Lee. I can handle it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I know you don't think I can but I can. I have been listening to those tapes that Billy gave me and I've been trying to learn everything that I can. I think I'm ready for this."

Lee continued to pace. "Amanda, listening to tapes is not the same as having to do it in real life."

"I know but it is better than when I didn't know how to do anything, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess" Lee said as he raked his hand through his hair. "Okay, so when do you meet her again?"

"She is supposed to come to this house on Thursday afternoon to give me instructions how to get the truck. Lee, she already knew all about Victoria Greenwich. Do you think my cover story is strong enough? Will she continue checking it?"

"No, if she had any doubts, you would have never left that hotel room alive. I think she found it to be a plausible story and should leave it alone. We'll place a few more hired help in the house on Thursday."

"Do you think that is a good idea Lee? I mean if she knows about me and the house, wouldn't she also know that I only have the Butler, Maid and driver? To add more might make it looks suspicious."

Lee sighed "You are right. At least the house is fully wired. I'll be right outside listening in case there is trouble."

"What if she checks for bugs?" Amanda asked.

"Hopefully she won't but if she does, you need to tell her that you use them to keep tabs on the help."

"Okay. Lee, what am I going to do for the next 2 days? I can't go home to my family but I can't leave this house either. I feel so trapped."

"Well I could always bring you a typewriter and you could work on some of my reports." Lee said with a smile that poked out his dimples.

Amanda began giggling. "Big shocker that you would come up with something that would help you. Okay, fine bring me your typing. It's better than being bored."

Lee promised to be back in the morning. Since the front of the house was likely being watched now, Lee slipped out the back door and made his way through an alley to a parking lot down the street where he had parked the Porsche. He quietly pulled the car out of the parking lot and headed for his apartment. When he arrived, he noticed that his answering machine was flashing so he hit the play button as he went into the kitchen to get a beer. He didn't get very far before he quickly turned around and went back to the machine and hit the reverse button and then replayed the message.

"Hi Lee, I wonder if you remember me. I never forgot you. We met a long time ago. You were working for the agency that was involved with arresting me for trying to steal some military documents. We met at a bar and spent a few hours getting to know each other pretty intimately before we confessed that we worked for different sides. Do you remember that night Lee? I sure do. I never forgot it. It was amazing even if it was too short of a time together. Well I'm in town right now and I found out you were still working for the agency. I asked you that night if either of us ever decided to switch sides; if we could meet again. Lee, I'm in trouble in Russia and I need to defect. I need your help. Please help me Lee. You know we shared a connection that night. Please agree to help me so we can be together. Can you meet me at Anacostia Park at 9am? I'll wait for you near the entrance and I hope you will come. I know you have no reason to trust me but I promise you that I'm not setting you up. I just want to talk. I think I might have some information that might interest you and that you will be willing to help me defect to get. Please come Lee. My name is Larisa. I hope you remember me." The machine beeped off. Lee replayed it 3 more times and then called Billy and played it to him.

"What the hell is she up to Billy? This isn't good."

"Lee, I didn't know you slept with her back then."

"Billy! I had to or otherwise, I would have blown my cover. It wasn't like it meant anything." Lee was glad that Billy couldn't see his face because he would known he lied.

"Are you sure Lee? Are you sure you can stay objective in this? Should I get someone else to take over the case?"

"No, Billy, I'm fine. I'm just worried about what she is up to." Lee went on to tell Billy what Amanda found out.

"Do you think she has connected you and Mrs. King together?"

"I don't think so. I really don't think she would have let Amanda out of that hotel room alive if she thought that Amanda was agency. I guess the only choice we have is for me to meet her at 9am tomorrow."

"Okay, but I'm going to have Francine keeping an eye on things. I don't like this Lee. I don't like it one bit"

"I don't either Billy but we have to find out what she is up to."

"Okay, well you be careful."

"Billy, can you call Amanda in the morning and let her know that I had to meet a contact. Don't tell her that it is Larisa because that might upset her but she wanted something to do so I offered to bring some typing for her to work on in the morning."

"I'll just have Agent Waltz drop by with some. He can tell her that you got tied up. He can go as a drycleaner and the paperwork can be in the laundry." Billy explained.

"That sounds like a plan. Billy, Amanda really did a good job with Larisa. I was really impressed with how she handled herself and handled Larisa. I doubt that Francine could have done a better acting job."

Billy chuckled to himself and said. "I never doubted her."

Lee ran his hand through his hair and said "Yeah. Well goodnight Billy."

"Goodnight Lee. Please be careful."

"Oh I will. Too much is riding on this.

They hung up and Lee decided that he needed something more than a beer. He went behind the bar and poured himself a shot of Scotch. He downed it in one gulp and then poured a second one. He sat down on the couch and drank this one slower. He hated to admit it but he definitely remembered the night he had spent with Larisa. He was a lot younger and hadn't been with the agency very long. In other words, he was a young punk who was determined to make a name for himself and it didn't take much for a pretty girl to persuade him into a romp in the sheets. He truly believed that the night with Larisa had convinced him to be more selective these days. At that time though, he had fallen right into her clutches like so many other young men. He had been assigned a case in which he was to provide security for the Military. They had suffered some water damage at their D.C. facility and had to move a lot of classified documents to a different location. It was Lee's job to stay with the documents and make sure they arrived safely and then to help maintain the security until they could be returned to their original storage place. It was a boring assignment to Lee and he felt he should be assigned more important things to do. The documents had arrived safely at their new location and Lee believed that no one knew anything about them. So when some of the guys asked him to go to the bar that night; he readily agreed and left a rookie to guard the place.

At the bar; all the men had spanned out looking for a little action. Lee soon found himself sitting on a bar stool by himself. Then he saw her. She was beautiful. She had wavy Strawberry blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a tight fitting blouse that showed her very full breasts. He couldn't help but watch her as she sipped on her drink. Suddenly she got up to go to the bathroom and he found himself watching how her tight fitting jeans showed off her very nicely rounded butt. Agent Carew noticed that Lee was watching her and slid into the bar stool next to him.

"Stay away from her Stetson" Carew warned.

"What?" Lee pretended to play dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"That woman that just walked to the bathroom. She's dangerous. She's a well known Russian Spy and playing with her would be like playing with fire.

"She's a Russian spy? She doesn't look like a spy." Lee said as he swirled his drink with his finger.

"Trust me; she's a spy and a good one. The agency has been tracking her for a while now. Leave that one alone Stetson if you know what is good for you."

Carew left Lee and soon the woman returned. She had taken her hair down and it piled softly just below her shoulders. Lee found himself drawn to her and even though he knew he should stay away, he decided to get up and talk to her.

He walked over to her table and said "Hi, is this seat taken?"

The woman looked at it and said "It will be once you sit down."

Lee smiled and sat down. "My name is Lee and I have to tell you that you are a very beautiful woman."

"I have been told so, yes."

There was little sign of a Russian accent. Lee began wondering if Carew came up with the story just to keep him away from her.

"Can I ask you what your name is?" He asked her.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Larisa."

"Can I now ask why your boyfriend isn't here?"

Larisa laughed and said "I don't have a boyfriend. I'm all by myself. If I did, he wouldn't tolerate such a handsome man sitting with me."

Lee smiled and blushed a little. "Can I refresh your drink?" He asked.

"Sure" She responded.

For the next hour, they both lied about what they did and flirted with each other. Lee had no idea he had been set up until much later. Larisa's hair was naturally brown but she knew that Lee liked blondes so she dyed her hair. A few well placed flyers about the bar's drink specials worked perfectly to get the agents to go to that bar. This was one man that she enjoyed playing with though because he was really a good looking man. He had a great smile and now and then his dimples would show when he laughed. She had had to seduce some men that didn't attract her in the past but this one very much attracted her. When he suggested that they go back to his apartment, she jumped at the opportunity. She would get the information later. Right now, there would be no harm in having some fun with this hot looking man.

Lee found Larisa very intriguing. She had told him that she worked at a hair salon in DC and that she specialized in makeovers. He was mesmerized by her as she talked to him and when her hand began rubbing his arm, he found that he couldn't resist her. He was thrilled that she agreed to go back to his apartment.

He tried to keep his speed down as he drove the rental car back to where he was staying. As he walked her inside, he began to ask her if she wanted a drink but before he could, she had slammed the door shut and her mouth was on his. This was definitely an experienced woman and she worked her magic on him.

Later as they laid in bed with her nestled in his arms and her head against his chest, she said "I don't believe for one minute that you are an accountant. I have dated accountants and none of them ever did what you just did to me. So how about you confess and tell me what you really do?"

Lee chuckled and said "If I did that, I would have to kill you."

Larisa laughed with him and said "Okay fine. Don't tell me. Let me guess. You work for the agency."

Lee sat up immediately and asked "How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things about you. Lee I have wanted to be with you for a long time. I saw you a few months ago at a party and you were with someone else so I didn't dare to approach you but I knew someday I would get my chance. When I asked who you were, they told me that you worked for the agency. Lee, I find what you do fascinating and would love to learn more about it."

"Well if you know what I do, then you know I can't tell you. Tell me Larisa, are you working for the Russians?"

Larisa looked guilty and said "If you knew that, why did you agree to sleep with me?"

"Well we haven't actually done any sleeping and I enjoy a challenge. Actually I was hoping my informant was wrong. It's too bad we are on opposite sides. I think you should probably go. Neither of us is going to tell the other the truth so this is pointless, don't you think?"

Larisa sighed and said "Yeah, pointless. But if either of us ever decides to switch sides, I think we should look each other up. You are an amazing man Lee and I really wish we were both on the same side."

Lee agreed. They both kissed one last time and then Larisa got up and began dressing. Without another word between them, she left.

A few days later, Larisa tried to bluff her way into the facility where the military documents were being held and Lee caught her and had to arrest her himself. She begged him to let her go but this was his job and his country and that was his first loyalty. In thinking back, he couldn't believe how much this woman had gotten to him in such a short period of time. Later when he learned more about her, he realized that it was her job and skill to seduce men and she had learned the craft well. Perhaps if Lee hadn't been so young and perhaps if everything he loved hadn't been stripped from his life, he wouldn't have fallen for her so hard but it took awhile to get her out of his head. Deep down, he had known at the time that it was wrong to have sex with her but she was a desirable woman and Lee found himself drawn to her. He found the memories and emotions from that time to be very overwhelming now that they had resurfaced. He had buried them deeply but was surprised at fast they had hit him after just hearing her voice.

He shook his head as he downed the rest of his Scotch. He wasn't looking forward to this meeting but it was time to exorcise Larisa out of his heart and soul for sure.

 **TBC**


	30. Chapter 30 - Exercising the Demons

**Chapter 30 - Exorcising the Demons**

Lee didn't sleep at all that night and was at the park by 8:30 to scope things out before she got there. There wasn't any sign of an ambush so he made himself comfortable on a park bench near the entrance. She arrived at exactly 9am and rushed to hug him but he held her back.

"Lee; I see you are still angry with me. I have missed you so much. It is one of the reasons that I know I need to leave Russia. The other is that I'm in trouble. Can we talk please?"

Lee gestured for her to move ahead of him and then he walked beside her.

Larisa continued even though Lee had not encouraged or discouraged her.

"The last mission I was on didn't go the way it was supposed to and because of me, several key Soviet people were killed. They of course blamed me. I was interrogated for hours because they thought they had been set up. When they finally decided I was innocent of that, they determined that I'm just not useful anymore. I'm no longer young and beautiful like I was so I can't reel the men in as easily anymore. I heard one of the officers talking about how it was time for me to retire, permanently. Lee, I got scared and I ran. The US has been good to me when I've been here so this was the first place I thought to come and of course I thought of you immediately." Larisa smiled through her tears that she had shed while she told her story.

Lee was amazed at how easily she lied and put together a believable story while realizing that as a young man, this was why it had been so easy to fall for her.

"So what do you want me to do?" Lee asked

"You still work for the agency right? I know you aren't going to answer that. Anyway, I found out that there is a huge mission going down this Friday. From what I've heard, there is a transport arriving with a lot of illegal firearms."

"You just happen to know this?" Lee asked.

"No, Lee. I admit that I still have many informants in this country and it didn't take long for one of them to tell me about this. I'm not involved Lee. Trust me. I want so badly for you to trust me and for us to be together." Larisa said this as she rubbed a hand down Lee's face to his chest. Lee stopped her hand and placed it gently back to her side.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I know, it is hard to trust someone from the opposite side. Lee, I'm not part of the transport group. My sources tell me that they have involved some rich lady to do the transport. She's an American and desperate for money. Her name is Victoria Greenwich. Check her out."

"I will" Lee said quietly.

"In the meantime, do you think you could offer me sanctuary?" Larisa asked.

"No, not until I check out your story. I need more information. Where are these guns coming from? Where are they going?"

"Now Lee, I need something in return. I can't just give you all my information."

"If you want my help, you will give me more than the tease you just did." Lee stuck to his grounds.

"Okay, fine. The guns are coming from Miguel Hernandez and the plan is to sell and transport them to Russia."

"Don't they have enough guns already?"

"These are not your every day street guns. These are the types of guns that terrorists seek out. They were put up for bid a few months ago and of course the Russians knew that they needed them and that they didn't want anyone else to have them."

"I see. How do they intend to get them to Russia?"

"They are booking a private flight out of Dulles for them on Friday."

"Okay, let me check things out. How do I get back in touch with you?"

"I'll meet you back here around 10am. Lee, I hope you will have good news for me."

Larisa tried again to wrap her arm around his neck so she could kiss him but Lee once again stopped her. He turned around and left her staring after him.

He pondered as he walked out of the park about this meeting. Why would she invite him to this and then lie about all the arrangements? Were they using Amanda as a bluff and really sending everything out through Dulles instead or did she really believe Amanda's cover and thought that she could bluff the Dulles story? In either case, Lee was glad that he had not fallen for her seduction advances this time. It had been so hard as a young man but now he could see how well she played her men. He was happy that he had no feelings toward her.

It was time to go talk to Billy.

 **TBC**


	31. Chapter 31 - Lee's Confession

**Chapter 31 - Lee's Confession**

Billy was the one pacing as Lee told the story of his past with Larisa. When Lee finished, Billy stopped and looked at him as he held his coffee cup.

He put down the cup and sat on the edge of his desk and said "Why didn't you ever tell me any of that?"

"I don't know Billy. I guess I was a young kid who thought I had something to prove and when I realized how dumb it was, I was too embarrassed to tell you."

"So why tell me now?" Billy asked.

"Because I don't want it to come out later if Larisa tries to use it against me."

Billy nodded his approval. "Well it certainly appears that they are trying to deflect us away from the transport. I'm guessing that they are setting up Mrs. King to take the fall for them."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I just can't figure out why Larisa is telling me that they are flying them when they intend to truck them. I just don't like it Billy. What did I get Amanda in this time?"

"Lee, Mrs. King makes her own decisions. She wanted to do this. I think the airline thing is a hoax but we'll set it up like it isn't which might give them a false sense of security if they are trucking everything. Did you notice she never mentioned anything about the drugs?"

Lee ran his hand through his hair again and said "Yeah, I did notice that. Why do you think she left that part out?"

"Maybe the drugs are going by plane?" Billy suggested.

"That could be it. We would be looking for crates that weapons would fit into while meanwhile the drugs could be stuffed into something and it would keep us busy while the truck is allowed to go on its way."

"You might be right." Billy said. "Okay, well I'm going to have Francine take a couple of agents over to Dulles to talk to the security team there. We'll bring in some drug sniffing dogs too just in case."

"What do we do about Larisa? I have to meet her tomorrow morning. Then she intends to meet Amanda in the afternoon to give her instructions on where to meet the truck."

"I think you go ahead and meet with Larisa and tell her that you are trying to work something out. Use the excuse that she doesn't have the best track record with the US Government so you need more to convince them that she wants to be on our side. See if she will tell you anything more. We have to figure out why she is telling 2 different stories."

"I agree. In the meantime, I don't think I will tell Amanda about meeting with her. And Billy, I don't want anyone else to know that I spent a night with Larisa. Okay?"

"Of course Lee. There is no need for anyone to know about that. Of course she might tell people when we catch her. Have you thought about that?"

"Yeah" Lee said as he rubbed his hand through his hair again. "I guess I'll handle it at the time if she does. It's not something I'm proud of and I already have a reputation so I don't need that added to it."

"Okay, well why don't you get back to check on Amanda. I'm sure she is wondering where you are. Oh, I almost forgot. I have a package for you to give to Amanda."

"A package?" Lee asked.

"Yes, from Leatherneck. He special made it for her." Billy said as he handed over a box.

"Billy, this is awfully big to be a wire."

"Not really, the wire is inside the item." Billy said with a sly grin.

"BILLY? What's going on?"

"You wanted Leatherneck to come up with a way for Amanda to wear a wire that wasn't noticeable right?"

"Right. But she needs it to be an item that she would wear every day."

"Oh, it is." Billy said while still smiling.

"Are you going to tell me or do I need to look at what is inside?"

"You can look if you want." Billy responded.

Lee opened the box and immediately shut it. "You want me to give this to Amanda and tell her to wear it?"

"Sure, you can even tell her that you requested it be made especially for her."

"You are not funny Billy."

"No? I thought it was pretty funny. Who would think to look at the underwire of a bra to find a listening wire? It's genius Lee."

"Yeah, right. I'll talk to you later Billy." Lee said as he headed to the elevator. He was still rubbing his hand into the back of his hair as he rode it up to the Georgetown Foyer. What he didn't realize was that Mrs. Marsten was observing him. As she sat at her desk, she noticed how tense he looked. She let out a sigh. She sure hoped that this didn't have anything to do with Amanda. She was going to have to get a box of chocolates to give to Francine so she would tell her what was going on.

 **TBC**


	32. Chapter 32 - The Package

**Chapter 32 - The Package**

Lee arrived at the Greenwich house just as Amanda was sitting down to lunch. She insisted on Lee joining her. Beth had made macaroni and Cheese so there was plenty for both of them. As Lee sat down, he placed the package next to Amanda's plate.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Leatherneck came up with a way for you to wear a wire." Lee answered.

Amanda looked skeptically at him. "That looks awfully big for a wire." She said.

"Go ahead and open it." Lee suggested as he blushed slightly in anticipation of her response.

Amanda stared at him for a couple of seconds and then reached for the box and carefully opened it like there was a bomb inside. When she saw that it was a bra, her face immediately turned 3 shades of red.

"Lee, is this someone's idea of a joke?" She asked.

"No, Leatherneck thought that the underwire of a bra would be the perfect hiding place. It isn't like anyone would be handling it while it is on you right?"

"Why of course not!" Amanda said adamantly.

"So isn't that a great idea? Leatherneck can be pretty clever at times" Lee said while still trying to convince himself.

"Sure, it is a great idea, except for one thing!" Amanda said.

A confused Lee asked "What's that?"

Amanda couldn't believe she was going to have to explain this to Lee. She continued to blush as she slowly began to speak. "Well, um, most women use a bra that has a um wire in it to um show off um what's in the bra."

Lee stopped chewing in mid bite. How did he get into a conversation about Amanda's breasts? How was he going to get out of talking about Amanda's breasts? He groaned inward as he knew that no matter what, this conversation would not end well. Fearing that he had no choice, he asked "So what's the problem?"

"The problem? You are asking me what the problem is? Have you ever noticed that I have a small chest or do you ever notice me at all? I wasn't given a large chest like other women. My Mother said that I got her chest but even her chest is bigger than my chest. I think my Father's chest was bigger than mine. The problem is that I don't wear a wire bra cause I don't have anything for a wire to hold up."

Lee grimaced as she finished. That went about as well as he thought it might. Now he had no choice but to try to smooth things over.

"Amanda, there is nothing wrong with your chest. Lots of women have chests your size and wear wires."

"Oh, yes, I guess you would know wouldn't you." Amanda pushed her chair back, picked up the package and ran upstairs

Lee sighed and let her go. He hoped that once she got over the shock of the idea of it, that she would realize that it wasn't a bad idea. He picked up the half eaten dishes of food and carried them into the kitchen for Beth. He then went back out into the entryway and sat down while wondering how long he should leave Amanda alone. Why were women so difficult? While he was sitting there waiting, suddenly the upstairs bedroom opened and Amanda came downstairs.

"I'm sorry" She said as she got to the bottom stair. "I feel foolish blowing up like that."

"There is nothing to feel foolish about Amanda. I was embarrassed when Billy gave it to me. Look, you don't have to wear it." Lee quickly said.

"No, I will. Does it look okay?" Amanda stuck out her chest a bit to show him.

Lee turned a little red as he looked quickly and then turned away as he said "They look great, um, I mean it looks fine."

Amanda couldn't help but smile a little at Lee's slip of tongue.

"I'm going to go take it off for now. I'll be right back."

"Yes, you do that." Lee said a little too quickly. As Amanda headed upstairs, Lee went to the bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. He quickly swallowed the entire contents. Hopefully they wouldn't need to talk about Amanda's chest again anytime soon.

 **TBC**

 **Happy Easter Everyone! :)**


	33. Chapter 33 - A Possible Clue

**Chapter 33 - A Possible Clue**

Amanda couldn't help but chuckle a little as she made her way back to her room at how she was able to embarrass the great Scarecrow. She shook her head. Would he ever stop surprising her? One minute he could be all macho and the next, he actually acted like a normal human being. She decided it was likely one of the reasons he intrigued her so much. She quickly shed this special bra and put back on her old one and headed back downstairs. As she arrived, she noticed that he had moved into the study and was looking over Larisa's file again.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" She asked.

"No, not really. I keep hoping something will jump out at me."

"Can I look or is it classified?"

"Well I don't see any harm in you looking too." Lee said as he handed the file to Amanda.

She brought it over to the desk in the study and for the next 2 hours read it completely. She appeared to be lost in thought several times as she read things but didn't offer any comments. Lee watched her progress for awhile but then got up and got a notebook and began writing in it.

Suddenly, Amanda said "Lee, I think I got something." Lee stood up and walked over to her. "I don't know Amanda; I went over that file several times. What did you find that I didn't?"

"Well I didn't see it at first but if you read the whole thing a couple of times, it starts to jump out at you. Since you are more connected to the agency, you probably wouldn't have noticed it. I mean, I don't know if I would have if I knew all these agents and their history but since I don't know anyone, I tend to read each word a little more specifically than you probably do. Now, not that that's a bad thing, it just means that I have to be more detailed oriented in reading than you do."

"Amanda! What did you find?"

"Okay, well I didn't notice it at first but look at who was involved in each of her cases."

Lee looked back over the documents and noticed that Agent Carew had in fact been a part of every one of her investigations.

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything though. So what, he liked to be assigned her cases. I don't see how that helps us at all." Lee said.

"Well I would say the same thing but if you read all the reports, they all mention how Agent Carew for one reason or another was never able to get any charges to stick against her. Isn't that a little strange? I mean if you had been pursuing someone for years, wouldn't you make sure that you had everything in place when you catch them. Either this Agent Carew isn't a very good agent or else something isn't quite right." Amanda said.

Lee sat down in a chair near the desk. His thoughts went back to the night in the bar when Carew warned him to stay away from Larisa. Was there something more to his warning? Lee couldn't help but wonder.

"Good work Amanda. I'm going to call Billy and see what he can find out about this agent. It's getting late so I should go. I have a meeting in the morning with a contact so I won't be able to see you until after Larisa leaves here."

"You aren't going to be around? What if something goes wrong?" Amanda asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

"You will be fine. You are perfectly safe in this house. I'll be back before she arrives so I'll be outside in an agency van. I just can't take the chance of coming inside and having her find me here. She knows me Amanda. It would blow everything."

"How does she know you Lee?"

"I'm agency" He deflected. "Larisa knows anyone who is agency."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you after she leaves then. I hope you find out something about Carew."

"I do too. Thanks. Have a good night Amanda." Lee quickly slipped out the back door in case the house was being watched.

 **TBC**


	34. Chapter 34 - Billy, We Have a Problem

**Chapter 34 - Billy, We Have a Problem**

Lee knew that Billy had gone home by now so he called him there.

"This better be good." Billy said into the receiver.

"Billy, It's Lee. I'm sorry to bother you at home but I knew you would want me to. I think Amanda stumbled onto something today and you need to know about it."

"I'm listening."

Lee quickly explained about Agent Rob Carew. Billy listened and didn't interrupt. When Lee was finished he said "Lee, Agent Carew is one of our best agents. He's been a part of the agency longer than you have."

"I know Billy but don't you think it is a little too coincidental that he has been involved in every one of her cases and yet he is one of the best and can't nail her?"

Billy sighed. "I see your point. Okay, I'll get Francine to start checking him out tonight. Lee, if Carew is a part of this, he not only knows you, but he will know Amanda."

"I know." Lee said as he began pacing and rubbing his fingers together. "That's why we need to know so we can slow him down. We can't stop him because it will let Larisa know we are on to him but if he is involved, we need to make sure he doesn't get a chance to see Amanda playing the role of Victoria."

"Agreed! I'll have some information by morning. Good Night Lee."

"Good Night Billy."

Lee hung up and then turned on the TV. He needed to unwind for a bit. This case was creating a roller coaster ride of emotions for him. When did life get so complicated? When did he ever get embarrassed about a woman's bra? Wait, where did that thought come from? He was thinking about the case, not about Amanda's cleavage. Why did Leatherneck have to come up with that idea anyway? Lee couldn't believe that he couldn't have come up with a normal idea for hiding the wire. He just wanted to make Lee uncomfortable since he knew full well that Amanda was not his type. If he was giving a bra to Bonnie in the Steno Pool, he would have had no problem. She would have loved it and begged him to come over so she could show it off to him. When he saw Leatherneck again, he would have to give him a piece of his mind.

The dinosaur show continued playing in the background for another hour but Lee was soon fast asleep and never saw any of it. He also never heard the tv broadcasting channel sign off for the night and he didn't see his tv screen turn to snow. He was too busy dreaming about dancing bras.

 **TBC**


	35. Chapter 35 - An Act Worthy of an Emmy

**Chapter 35 - Deserving of an Emmy**

Lee woke with a sore neck. He reached up to support it and then realized that he had fallen asleep on his couch. He slowly sat upright while rubbing his neck until it felt better. He looked at his watch and saw that it was only 7am. That left him plenty of time to get ready for his meeting with Larisa. He took a long, relaxing hot shower to relief his tight muscles and then sat down with a hot cup of coffee. He really wasn't looking forward to this second meeting as he needed to be friendlier with her so that she didn't think anything was wrong.

At 8am, Billy called with a report on Agent Carew.

"Lee, it doesn't look good. Francine found a trail of money being deposited in Carew's account each month for the past 11 years. This money is always wired in and a little tricky to figure out where it originates from but Francine did enough digging to discover that it comes from a Swiss account that appears to have the KGB's fingerprints all over it. Francine was also able to find out that Carew actually has family in Russia. It seems that he travels back to visit them during his vacations."

"Well relatives don't mean much. The money part is definitely interesting though."

"Well these cousins are actually part an organization called The Night Owl Society. Have you ever heard of it?" Billy asked.

"I've heard of the group but don't know much about them."

"I'm surprised. They have been around a long time ago. It is said that they formed originally to spy on their own Government but as time went on, they evolved into a group that specializes in hacking computer systems. The KGB offered them a lot of money to switch to their side when they realized how dangerous they were. They do their work at night when things are quieter and usually are able to steal a lot of information before anyone realizes what is happening. We have had several breaches in our Navy and they have claimed responsibility."

"Can't we stop them?"

"No one has figured out a way so far. The computer geeks have been working on it for a few years now. Word has it that the Germans have even been hacked and they are close to having a software that can be installed that sets off an alarm when someone is trying to remotely access a computer system but it isn't ready yet. So these relatives are very dangerous and chances are that Carew is involved in their operations to some degree."

"Agreed. I can't wait to get him behind bars Billy. How is it possible that we have had a bad agent all these years and no one knew it?"

"Well no one suspected Dirk either."

"Yeah, that's true. Okay, well I better get going."

"Oh yes, your heavy date with Larisa. Lee don't do anything I wouldn't do with her." Billy said with a chuckle.

"Not funny Billy." Lee said as he hung up the phone.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

It wasn't time yet for Larisa to arrive but Lee decided to go to the park a little early. It would give him a chance to check things out to make sure he wasn't walking into a trap. He arrived and looked around but didn't see anything out of place so he took a spot on the same bench where he had met her yesterday. At exactly 10, Larisa walked into the park. This time as she neared him, he stood up and smiled at her.

"Hi Larisa."

"Hi Lee. Were you able to do as I requested?"

"Let's walk" Lee said as he took her hand in his. They began walking into the park and Lee led her to a pond that was off to the side and somewhat private. He gestured at a park bench that faced the pond. They both sat down. Larisa turned her body so she was facing Lee while he looked straight out at the pond.

"Lee, please tell me that you are going to help me. I heard word last night that the KGB knows that I'm here and they are trying to track me down. If they find me Lee" Larisa paused for dramatical affect and then said "Well I'm sure I don't have to tell you what they will do to me."

"Larisa, all these plans take time, you know that. You haven't really given me much to barter with. Is there anything else you can share with me so I can try to get you into a safe house at least?

"Okay, I'll tell you what I know. Then you have to protect me. You just have to." She said in a desperate tone. Larisa got off the bench and began pacing in front of Lee.

"I was contacted when I first came here by a Mob Boss out of New York. He had acquired the guns from overseas and wanted to sell them to the highest bidder. Now I admit at first that I was tempted to use them as a way to get back into my Superiors' good graces but I really want to put that life behind me. I told him that I wasn't working with the KGB anymore and he got angry with me. He told me that he would hurt me if I didn't help him." By this time, Larisa had begun to cry. Lee couldn't believe the act she was putting on. She could win an Emmy at the rate she was going.

"I put him in touch with an old comrade friend of mine who was still in the country and told him that I didn't want to be a part of it. He told me that it wasn't an option as he needed me to help seal the deal. I helped make arrangements for the guns to be shipped here from New York and then hired a private plane to fly them from here to Munich where the Russians will take possession of them. Lee, I'm terrified that they intend to make me go with them. If I go back to Russia, they will kill me. You have to protect me Lee. My life really depends on it." She flopped back down on the bench beside him and rested her head on his chest while rubbing her hand absently up and down his chest. Lee put his arm around her like he was comforting her and before he knew it she took her hand and used it to pull his head down to meet hers. She kissed him passionately on the lips and then moved her lips to his neck and up his jaw. Lee was shocked that none of it caused any kind of turn on for him and soon he stopped her and said "I think that getting involved right now isn't a good thing. Let's wait until you are safe, okay?"

Larisa smiled at him and said "You know best. Can you help me Lee?"

"I have to talk to the agency and see what we can do for you. Now that I know a little more, maybe I can get them to agree to help you. Can I call you tonight?"

"I'll call you. I have to go meet with them this afternoon. I was hoping that you could protect me from that. Please hurry Lee. I don't have much time." She said as she gave him a sad dog look.

"I'll go with you." He said as he called her bluff.

Larisa's face suddenly changed and she immediately responded "No, you can't do that. If they think I've brought the agency into this, they will kill me right now. I'll be okay during this meeting. Just please help me to safety before I have to fly out tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Call me after 7pm tonight. I'll be waiting for your call." Lee ran his hand down her face in an intimate move. He was pretty sure she was buying into this whole act of his. She kissed his hand and then he pulled her to her feet and put his arm around her waist as he walked her back out of the park.

At the entrance of the park, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him another passionate kiss. After they broke off the kiss she said "Lee, I can't wait to be with you again. You know, I never cared about any of the men I used. You were different though. There was something special about you. Once I'm safe, I'll show you how much you mean to me, okay?"

Lee looked at her with dreamy eyes and said "Sounds good to me. Call me tonight, okay."

"Yes" She said and then she hurried away.

Lee stood watching her go. She truly was a cunning creature. She still thought that sex could get her what she wanted. He was starting to wonder if she was using him as an alibi. If she could say she was with Lee, then this whole thing couldn't be pinned on her. He decided to go back to the agency to see what else they had learned. It was also time to start laying a trap for Agent Carew

 **TBC**


	36. Chapter 36 - The Agency Has Been Hacked

**Chapter 36 - The Agency Has Been Hacked**

When Lee arrived at the agency, he motioned for Francine to follow him and they both went to Billy's office. After they were seated inside, Lee asked "Any more information on Carew?"

"Not really" Francine answered. "We know that he has never been married. It looks like he has never even had a serious girlfriend before. There is even a chance that he and Larisa are an actual item."

"So the only way to catch him is to nab his girlfriend? Is that what you are telling us Francine?" Lee asked.

"Why Scarecrow? You are the expert here." Francine said with a smile. "Surely you don't need my help to catch a bad guy since you take Amanda on all your assignments now. Perhaps Amanda can wave a red Apron at him and he will come charging right to her and confess all his sins."

"Can it Francine" Billy and Lee both said at once.

Billy was rubbing his temples with his hand as he thought.

"Well we can't tip our hand too quickly because Larisa will know immediately something is wrong if he is even brought in for questioning. That would leave Mrs. King very vulnerable. I think we put a tail on him at all times and see if he incriminates himself."

"Is he scheduled to work this weekend?" Lee asked.

"He's working on Friday and Saturday but off on Sunday." Billy answered. "Do you think he will follow them as soon as he is off the clock?"

"I would stake my life on it. What's his assignment load right now?" Lee asked.

Billy looked at Francine who pulled out some paperwork and looked at it.

"Oh oh, he's scheduled to be at Dulles with us on Friday. How did that happen?"

"How the hell did that happen?" Billy asked.

"Let me go look" Francine said. She hurried out to her desk where she typed several things into her computer. A few minutes later she was back in Billy's office with a grim expression.

"It looks like someone hacked the computer. I'm sure when I looked earlier, Carew was assigned to a simple surveillance job at a local factory. Suddenly he has been assigned for Dulles and he has been given high priority clearance."

"The Night Owl Society" Lee and Billy said together. "Damn it" Billy exclaimed. That means they have figured out how to hack into the Agency's computers. Francine alert security and the IT department. We need to stop them before they begin stealing any information.

"I'm on it." Francine said as she hurried off.

Lee closed the door after she left. "Billy I don't think they hacked the computers this time to get information. They know that if they did that, it would alert us to trouble and the whole department would go into a shut down. I think they just hacked the computer to change his schedule and figured no one would notice."

"You may be right." Billy said. "I hope you are right. However, it means they can hack into our computers."

"True. Don't worry Billy, the IT guys will figure it out. That's what those geeks do. Come on, we need to figure out what we are going to do about Carew being at Dulles tomorrow."

"We do nothing."

"What?!" Lee questioned.

"We do nothing. Let's see what they have in mind. We will make sure we have plenty of coverage and someone will be on Carew the whole time watching him but let's let it play out however they want it to. Amanda is doing the transport. I think this is still a deflection on their part. Carew might be there to make it look more legitimate."

Lee had begun pacing again and stopped. "Billy, you might be right. What if he makes it out a big deal so that it keeps us busy while meanwhile the transport can slip away without anyone noticing?"

"Exactly. Only, we aren't going to put all our agents at Dulles. We are going to use some of our newer guys partnered up with experienced agents. It will give them a chance to be out in the field while leaving the majority of experienced agents available to help track the transport. Carew won't have a clue that he is being set up so he should continue with whatever plan they have arranged. In the meantime, if we are wrong, we will still have coverage at Dulles. We won't tell the rookies anything about Carew but the seasoned agents will know so they can all watch him."

Lee was nodding in agreement. "It's a smart move. Must be why they pay you the big bucks Billy."

Billy chuckled and said "Someday you will have this job and you will eat those words."

Lee suddenly looked at his watch. "Billy, I have to go. I need to be at the house before Larisa arrives to see Amanda."

"Call me later and let me know how the meeting goes."

I will. We're close on this one Billy. I just know that we are finally going to nail Larisa once and for all."

"I hope you are right. She's a crafty one. Let's get her behind bars before we get too confident though, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. After all, we are talking about Amanda here. Anything could go wrong." Lee said as he shut the door to Billy's office and headed as fast as he could for the elevator. He sure wasn't protecting her very well if he couldn't get to the house before Larisa arrived.

 **TBC**


	37. Chapter 37 - Scary Warnings

**Chapter 37 - Scary Warnings**

Amanda was nervous about this meeting. Larisa would be showing up at any time and Amanda wasn't even sure if Lee was outside in the van yet. She had hoped he would find a way to let her know he was there but she couldn't expect him to always be there for her. If she was ever going to be an agent, she had to start doing some things on her own. After all, when she had been Victoria the last time, she had to be alone in Delano's house. The memory of that night sent chills up her back though as she remembered how close she came to dying. Thank goodness Lee had shown up in time. No, she definitely was not ready to do any of this work by herself. She wasn't going to kid herself. She began pacing as she was wringing her hands together. Okay Amanda, ENOUGH! Get your act together, she told herself. She could do this. She had asked to do this so now it was time to step it up.

The doorbell rang and Stephen looked at Amanda to make sure she was ready before answering the door. Amanda smoothed down the pink skirt she was wearing, dropped her hands to her side and gave a nod to Stephen to go ahead.

Stephen opened the door and Larisa practically flew in without barely an acknowledgement to the butler. "Oh Victoria, what an absolutely beautiful home you have here. Why you just must give me a tour."

"Hi Larisa, of course. What would you like to see?" Victoria asked while wondering what she was up to.

"I want to see it all. I don't think I have ever been in such a quaint, lovely home before. However did you acquire it?"

"It was my parents' home" Victoria said relieved that the agency always did so well with these back stories. "When they died, it became mine."

"Oh dear, I had no idea your parents were dead. Well no wonder Edward is so important to you then. Well lead on, I can't wait to see it all."

Meanwhile Lee had managed to slip into the van just before Larisa arrived. As he sat listening to the two ladies talk, he panicked when he heard Larisa pushing for a tour. There was only one reason she wanted a tour; to check for anything suspicious like a bug. His mind went to focusing on Amanda refusing this tour but he knew she wouldn't.

Then just as he was expecting the worse, he heard Victoria say "Larisa, I'm sorry but can we do the tour another day? I'm afraid that I forgot I had a dinner engagement with an old friend of my father's and I simply don't have a lot of time and I know we have a lot to discuss."

Back in the room, Amanda knew something wasn't right when Larisa kept pushing for a tour so she did the only thing she could think of and made up an excuse why she couldn't offer a tour at that moment. Her instincts seemed on the mark when she saw Larisa's surprised and irritated face. Larisa quickly rebounded though and said "Sure, I understand. Those business meetings always take priority over the fun things in life. Well can we at least go to the study where there is some privacy?"

"Of course" Victoria said as she led them to the study. "Please have a seat." She said as she closed the door. Lee had made sure not to tell her where any of the bugs were located just to make sure she didn't accidentally find herself staring at the area. She just knew that Lee would be able to hear whatever was being said right now.

"Did you go see your loser boyfriend yet?" Larisa asked.

"No, I didn't because I knew he would beg me to get him out of jail and I know I can't until I return from helping you."

"Maybe you are smart enough to learn after all." Larisa said with some smugness. "Okay, well like I said, this assignment will be a piece of cake and you will walk away with a nice chunk of money for very little effort. There is a boat arriving at 4am tomorrow. By 5am, all of the crates will be loaded onto a box truck and will be ready to go. I need you at the dock by 5am. The truck will be lettered as Abbott's Moving Company. There will be a man sitting in the cab waiting for you. I've given him a description of you already but when you approach him, you need to say "Were you able to fit the Armoire" and he will reply "Sure did, all safe and sound." He will hand you the keys and a packet. Do not open the packet but on the front will be a phone number. Use the phone booth on the dock to call the number and I'll give you your next set of instructions. Do you understand?"

"Oh yes, I understand. What if the boat is late though?"

"Victoria, no one ever disobeys me. I told them to have the boat there by 4am. It will be there at 4am"

"I see. Well it doesn't sound too complicated. Should I pack a bag?"

"No, you won't be needing one. I will have a uniform for you in the cab of the truck that you can change into. We have to make sure you look legit. I'll be providing meals and everything you need during the entire trip."

"Larisa, can I ask you a question?" Victoria asked since she wanted to try to make it seem like she knew nothing about what was going on.

"What is it?"

"Since this seems so easy, why are you hiring me to do it? Why not just drive the truck yourself?"

Larisa glared at Victoria. "Look do you want to make money to help your loser boyfriend or not?" she finally spit out.

"I'm sorry to have offended you. I'm just curious about the whole thing."

"Well you know what happens to curious cats right? I suggest you just do your job and keep your nose out of what is going on. Got it?"

Victoria looked chastised and said "Got it."

"Okay, just make sure you are on the docks at 5am. We have a tight schedule and if the truck is late, it might mess things up.

"Oh, I'll be on time."

"And Victoria, make sure you are alone. We play hardball and I'm warning you one last time not to double-cross me. The last person who double crossed still hasn't been found yet. You are much too pretty to end up where that person did. Victoria, after we get to the Canadian border, you and I are going to be wealthy. I have to be able to trust you though." Larisa said more softly as she realized she had pushed the oversensitive woman too far.

"I haven't given you any reason not to trust me, have I?" Victoria asked.

"Not yet. Okay, well I have things to do before the morning. Make sure you call the number on the packet as soon as you have everything in hand. Oh, and no matter what, do NOT go back and look at the contents of the truck. I would take that as a betrayal also. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

"Goodbye Victoria" Larisa said as she hurried out the front door.

Amanda couldn't help but shutter a little at the threats that Larisa had thrown at her. She would have felt so much better if Lee could be with her but she would be mostly on her own with him too far away if Larisa suddenly decided that she had been betrayed. She was glad that Leatherneck had at least come up with an idea for a wire for her. At least Lee would be able to hear if things were going wrong. "Snap out of this Amanda" She chided herself. "You will be no good to the agency if you allow this woman to scare you." Just at that moment, she heard a door slam and footsteps running into the house. Amanda dived behind the couch fearing the worse.

 **TBC**


	38. Chapter 38 - Just Follow Orders

**Chapter 38 - Follow Orders**

Lee had listened to the whole conversation and he didn't like it. Larisa seemed to be purposely going out of her way to scare Amanda. Could it mean that she did suspect something? Lee had cringed when Amanda tried to get the woman to admit what was going on because he knew Larisa was too smart for that. He had to admit that it was pretty ballsy move for Amanda to try though. He could hear the fear in her raspy voice though as they were talking. As soon as Larisa was clear of the house and had driven away, Lee didn't hesitate about jumping out of the van and racing for the back door. It never occurred to him that it would spook Amanda to have him running full blast into the house. He just knew he had to get in there to make sure she was safe. As he entered the house, he let the door slam and then ran to the study where they had been. He found it empty. Where did she go? He began to leave the room and then as an afterthought decided to call out to her first. "Amanda?"

Amanda's head popped up from behind the couch and she said "Lee? Was that you that came running into the house so fast?"

"Yes Amanda; that was me. Why are you behind the couch?"

"I heard the door slam and then I heard running footsteps and well the training tape I listened to the other day said that when there is danger, you should immediately take cover. So that is what I did. Didn't I do it right?"

Lee ran his hand through his hair and said "Yeah, sorry I scared you. I was just worried and wanted to make sure that you were okay. That was pretty intense with Larisa."

"Yes, I see why she has the reputation she has."

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So what happens now?"

"Now we follow her instructions completely. Amanda, you took a chance today trying to get her to give you information. She could have decided you weren't as innocent as we are trying to make her believe. So tomorrow I want you to stick to the plan. We'll be able to hear what is going on through your wire. We're the experts, let us handle it."

"But Lee, I had to act a little curious or else wouldn't she be suspicious about why I'm not asking any questions?"

Lee looked at her for a few seconds as he digested that. She might have a point. "Amanda, just stick to the plan please, okay?"

Amanda sighed. "Yes, I will stick to the plan. Where will you be?"

"It would probably be best if you didn't know. It'll be okay though. I'll be there, I promise."

"Okay, thanks Lee."

"I've got to get back to my apartment. I'm expecting a phone call soon. You'll do great. Just follow whatever she tells you and talk out loud so that the wire picks it up. This will be over soon, okay?"

Amanda nodded as Lee turned around and headed out the back door. Her instincts were telling her that he wasn't telling her everything but she also knew it wouldn't do any good to ask him anything more. Amanda could only hope that whatever he was keeping from her was not going to get her killed.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee realized that it was getting late and he knew he needed to get back for Larisa's phone call. He didn't like the way he left things with Amanda but there was nothing he could do about it at that moment. It really was important for her to follow orders. He couldn't help but smile a little as he compared her to himself. She was very green yet she was also very eager. He remembered the days when he didn't listen to anyone either and went flying into every situation like some sort of superhero. He didn't want to admit it but Amanda King had a lot of the same qualities that he did as a young agent starting out. The difference was that he was used to taking care of himself since he had to do it most of his life and there wasn't anyone to care if he didn't come back from an assignment. Amanda had two young boys at home that needed her and she couldn't afford to take unnecessary risks.

Lee walked into his apartment at 6:30 and prepared for the phone call from Larisa. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say to her since he didn't want to tip the agency's hand.

The phone rang at exactly 7pm. Lee picked it up and said "Hello"

"Hello darling. I sure hope you have good news for me." Larisa said.

"Hi Larisa. I'm glad you called. I just got off the phone with my boss and he is willing to give you transport to a safe house. Unfortunately nothing is available until tomorrow afternoon though. Will that be a problem?"

"I'm not sure Lee. They could find me at any time. Could I come stay with you?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Lee said quickly. "Just stay in hiding. Can you meet me back at the park at noon?" There was no way she was going to show up there since She would already be with Amanda in the transport truck but Lee knew he had to continue this game with her.

"I guess if that is the best you can do, then I have no choice and I will have to take it. If I'm not there, you know that they have me."

"You've evaded them all this time, I'm sure you can continue to for a few more hours."

Larisa sighed and said "I'll try. Lee, I hear footsteps so I have to go. I'll see you at noon tomorrow." The phone went dead.

Lee was perplexed. What would she have done if he said he could pick her up at 5am? He just didn't like whatever game she was playing. He especially didn't like it because it involved Amanda. This was definitely one case he would be happy when it was over.

 **TBC**


	39. Chapter 39 - The Perfect Alibi

**Chapter 39 - The Perfect Alibi**

"Rob, you naughty man. You almost made it so I lost my train of thought while I was talking to the great Scarecrow."

"Oh baby, I just wanted to make sure you remembered who loves you so you don't get tempted by Mr. Casanova again."

"Jealousy doesn't become you." Larisa said to Carew.

"So what's the point in this safe house business anyway? It isn't like you will be around to be in a Safe house."

"Oh sweetie, even after all these years, you still need me to guide you, don't you? I need an alibi. Good Old Lee Stetson will be able to testify that I was trying to stay safe but that they let me down and I got kidnapped by that Greenwich woman and the others. He will also be able to vouch that I wanted nothing to do with this. Won't it be fun when the Great Scarecrow ends up being my alibi?"

"I guess" Carew said reluctantly.

"Carew, you really need to let the jealousy thing go. I'm with you, aren't I?" Larisa said as she slowly ran a finger over his lips and then kissed him gently on them. "We are going to be so rich that I can finally retire and you can get away from that stupid agency."

"Larisa, I hope it all works out that way. Scarecrow is good at what he does though. He's not going to fall for a set up."

"Why? Have you heard something? Are they on to us?"

"No, that's the problem. I'm not hearing anything. You know that all these years, you have been my case. Well normally I would know what was going on but I'm not being told anything right now. In fact if the Night Owl Society hadn't changed my schedule, I wouldn't even be at the airport to make sure they don't get too close. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"

Larisa kissed Carew again and ran her fingers down his chest. "I think you worry way too much. You should have more faith in me. Lee has told them that I won't be there so of course they wouldn't send you in. I'll be willing to bet that the great Scarecrow himself is there though. He'll be hot and ready to make a bust on those weapons."

"Why do we have them there? What if they find the drugs we are trying to move?"

"They aren't going to find them. They won't think to look where they are hidden. Besides, I think I'll let you in on another secret of mine."

"What's that?" Carew asked.

"Well don't be angry that I didn't tell you but I know the man who supplies the drug sniffing dogs to the agency."

"Are you sleeping with him too?"

"Rob, please understand; it isn't that I like sleeping with all these men, I have to. It's what I do to get my job done. I thought you understood that. I don't feel anything for anyone but you sweetie." Larisa rubbed Rob's face while giving him gentle kisses. "I needed his help and after spending a little time with me, he was very eager to help out."

"What did he agree to do?"

"He's letting a new hire bring the dogs tomorrow. He's purposely moving his experiences dogs to different pens so that the guy brings the dogs that are in training. Those dogs won't be able to find anything more than maybe some dog treats."

"That's brilliant Larisa."

"I know. See, it was all for the sake of the cause. You really are tense my friend. Come with me into the other room and I'll work all your muscles for you." Larisa said.

"Am I just for the sake of the cause too?" Carew asked.

"Oh Darling, of course not. Don't you know by now that I love you? She said as she put her hand in his and began pulling him into the bedroom. Carew gave in and let her. He shut the light off as he walked through the door way and found himself being yanked down onto the bed.

"Stop worrying about Lee Stetson. I'm going to take care of everything. By the time I'm done with him, you will be able to visit him at his jail cell where he'll be waiting to be tried for treason."

"I love the way you think and ohhh, I love when you do that to me. It feels really good baby. Let's stop talking about Lee Stetson now."

"Um hum" Larisa agreed. "Why don't you help me forget all about him?"

Larisa smiled to herself as Carew began making love to her. She could still con any man with sex. Soon she would be rid of all of them and be so rich; she wouldn't have to play games with any of these stupid men anymore. After a while, they all became so boring and predictable. Maybe she would have sex with Stetson one last time for old time's sake though before she made sure he never saw daylight again.

 **TBC**


	40. Chapter 40 - Adventure at Dulles Airport

**Chapter 40 - The Adventure at Dulles**

Francine stayed overnight inside the Dulles Airport. She had dressed up like an employee who was waiting to help the passengers board. There were 25 other agents in place around the terminal. Of course one of them was Agent Carew. Lee needed to be where Amanda was so he had chosen not to be there but he promised to call in later and get a full report.

As the sun started shining in through the terminal's windows, Francine noticed that Carew seemed nervous and had begun pacing. He was one of the few who had dressed up as a member of airport security and he seemed to have forgotten that since he wasn't even acting his cover. Francine finally cleared her throat loudly so he would look at her and mouthed "stop pacing." He blushed slightly, gave a slight nod and went back to standing near Gate 56.

Francine had already talked privately to the real airport security when Larisa first told Lee about this flight and learned that there was a private jet flying out at 5am. It seemed a little too coincidental that it was the exact same time that Amanda had been told to be at the docks. Francine checked her watch again and saw that the time was creeping up to 3:30 am. At that moment a pilot and his co-pilot came walking through the terminal with their overnight bags on wheels behind them. They showed their badges to Carew who let them by after looking at them. Meanwhile a few passengers had begun arriving and had taken seats to await boarding. When Francine talked to the security earlier, they had advised her that about 20 people were booked onto the flight. The person who had booked the flight had referred themselves as Mr. Stevens and said that these people were friends who had been invited to a wedding that was taking place in Munich.

Out of the corner of her eye, Francine noticed some activity from some of the agents. She took a quick look at Carew who was holding his post and seemed indifferent. She looked out the terminal window to see what the excitement was and saw that they were bringing down the items that would be put in the cargo hold of the plane. Thankfully one of the agents who had been assigned security had stopped them from putting anything on the plane and was on the phone with someone. It didn't take long before the drug sniffing dogs showed up. Francine noticed that she didn't recognize the handler but it wasn't like she knew all the people from the kennel. He led the dogs down to where the items were that were about to be loaded onto the plane. The dogs were jumping on the people and seemed really excited about the whole scene but none of them were interested in any of the bags or crates. After 20 minutes of trying to get them to find anything drug related, the handler shrugged and walked the dogs away. Francine noticed that there were a lot of bags being loaded onto the plane but also several large crates that said they were from a Crematorium. So where were the drugs? Did they really get totally set up or were the drugs being smuggled some other way.

The dog handler with his 3 dogs finally made it inside the terminal and he began walking the dogs in front of the passengers and their carry on luggage. Suddenly one of the dogs began acting crazy over a passenger's backpack. Everyone tensed and prepared for the passenger to make a run for it. One of the agents came over and said "Okay son, what's in the bag?"

"Nothing. What is that hound's problem? I haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm going to need you to open the bag for us. Nice and easy." The agent said.

"I told you, I don't have anything bad in there. What does this mutt think is in my bag anyway?"

"Sir, we have reason to believe that you have drugs in there."

"Drugs? You think I'm carrying drugs. Come on man. I'm not that stupid. I have got to see my little cousin get married."

"Just open the bag sir."

The man opened the bag so they could all see inside. Meanwhile the dog was jumping around and trying to get its head into the bag. Then suddenly it managed to reach inside and grab a bag and began ripping it apart to get the contents.

"Hey stop that! Those treats are for my sister's prized poodle. She can't get them in Munich and I promised to bring her some. Oh come on, your dog just ate them all."

The dog sat wagging its tail, looking quite pleased with itself.

The agent grabbed the dog handler and pulled him aside and said "What the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know sir. He's never done that before. Well at least I don't think he has."

"What do you mean when you say that you don't think he has?"

"Well just that I have only been a handler for a month and I haven't ever been told that he would act that way. I don't know for sure sir."

"A month?" the agent exclaimed. "Your boss sent you and you have only been working for a month?"

"Yes Sir."

"Let me guess, this is your first assignment too?"

"Yes Sir. I know what I'm doing though sir."

"You look it. Okay, okay, I think we are done with your services. You can tell your boss that I'll call him later."

"Okay, come on boys." The handler and his 3 dogs left the airport.

The agent looked at Francine and shrugged.

Francine looked over at Agent Carew who was still holding his post and she noticed he wore a slight smirk on his face. "He knew!" She thought to herself. Somehow Larisa had sabotaged the dogs. There was no way for them to find any drugs without the aid of them so the mission would have to be a failure. Francine got up and went to a payphone and called Billy.

"Billy, it's Francine. We have a problem."

"What's going on Francine?"

"This was definitely staged. Our dog handler ended up being a kid with no experience and I have a strange feeling that the dogs had even less experience. There is no way to find the drugs without them. Do we have a connection in Munich that can search the plane when they land?"

"Can't you search all the bags by hand?" Billy asked.

"If you want us to but Billy do you honestly think that the drugs are going to be just sitting in a bag waiting for someone to open the bag and find them?"

Billy sighed and said "No, of course not. Okay, I'll contact some of our people in Munich and see what they can arrange. How did our friend do?"

"He stood guard like he was supposed to and looked smug the whole time." Francine responded.

"Big Surprise. Okay, I'll see you when you get back here." Billy said as he hung up the phone.

Francine walked back to the waiting area and told the agent that it was a bust so he could let the others know. She then smiled as she walked up to Agent Carew and said "I guess we can go back to the agency. It looks like this was bad information given to Scarecrow. Maybe he is losing his edge."

Agent Carew quickly nodded and said "Well he might be headed for Burn out. Sometimes when they do so much when they are young, they can't handle it as they get older. Someone should probably keep an eye on him."

"I'll mention it to Billy. Thanks. I'll see you back at the agency." Francine couldn't help but notice how eager Carew seemed to want to make Francine believe that Lee was a burn out. What did Lee do to Carew that he would turn on a fellow agent? She would have to ask Lee later. Maybe at one time they were both after the same woman. That was probably it. Whatever it was, Francine decided that she better advise Lee to watch his back because Agent Carew seemed eager to get his knife into it.

 **TBC**


	41. Chapter 41- Road Trip

**Chapter 41 - Road Trip**

Amanda didn't sleep at all Thursday night. She went to bed early but found herself wide awake and she couldn't seem to find any comfortable position even though the bed she was in should have put her right off to dreamland since it was incredibly comfortable. At 3am, she got up and got dressed. She sighed as she put the special bra on. She actually hated wearing bras with wires but maybe this one might have to save her life. She dressed conservatively in designer jeans and a t-shirt and then went downstairs. Beth was still sleeping so Amanda made herself a cup of coffee and tried to work out her nerves. "Why did I sign up to do this agency work?" She tried to remind herself again. She had a good life, 2 very special sons and a mother who loved her and yet here she was; ready to put all of that on the line for a job that didn't even pay her very good. Maybe if she survived this case, she should ask Mr. Melrose if he would be upset if she quit the agency. She couldn't let them down though and knew that it was up to her to help bring Larisa to justice once and for all. It was a lot to put on her shoulders.

The time ticked away slowly. She wished that she could call Lee and she really wished that Lee could go with her but she knew he couldn't. She took comfort in knowing that he would be just a yell away. It helped calm her nerves a little. Her life was sure a lot simpler before she met him but not nearly as much fun. She knew that that was part of the reason she kept coming back for more. She had always been the good girl growing up because she never wanted to disappoint her father. She married the guy who should have taken care of her for the rest of her life, the one who was steady for the most part instead of looking for one that would make her life an adventure. The agency allowed her to live out so many of the fantasies that were only in her mind. She wondered what her dad would think if he knew his daughter was involved in this crazy spy business. In her mind she could hear his voice "Panda Bear, I'm so proud of you." He would have been too. Her Mother would think she was crazy but her father would have supported her even though he would have been worried about her safety.

Amanda looked at her watch and discovered that somehow the time had finally ticked to 4am. The cab that she had called for the night before should be there any second. She had decided that it made more sense than having the limo take her and Larisa wouldn't doubt her loyalty this way too since she told Victoria to come alone. She put on her coat and looked at the window and saw that it was just pulling up. She quietly slipped out of the house and walked down the steps and got into the cab. The cab driver grunted at her and then turned the car towards the direction of the docks. It took about 40 minutes to get there so she was in plenty of time when they arrived. As she got out of the cab and paid the faire, she looked around to see if it looked like any agency people were there. If they were, Amanda didn't see them. She did spot the moving van though and walked up to it. There was a man in the front seat who appeared to be sleeping. She knocked lightly on his window and he said "What do you want?"

"Were you able to fit the Armoire" She asked.

He replied "Sure did, all safe and sound."

The passenger door than popped open and he told her to get in. On the seat was the uniform that Larisa had promised her. She got inside and closed the door. The man looked scary. He had tattoos all over his arms and up his neck that looked old and faded. He just looked mean. She waited for him to make the first move and thankfully he did. He handed her an envelope and a set of keys.

"I believe you have instructions on what to do?"

"Oh Yes sir. I should be all set."

"Good. Tell the boss lady that she owes me." He got out of the cab and disappeared almost immediately. It almost didn't seem real.

Amanda looked down on the package and there was a phone number. She spotted a phone booth and got out of the truck and walked over to it. She inserted some change and then called the number. Larisa answered on the third ring.

"Very good Victoria. You have passed your first test. I also heard that you came alone. It pleases me that you are following orders"

"I told you I would. What do you want me to do now?"

"Put on the uniform and drive the truck to Georgetown Waterfront Park. You will see a blue van parked in the parking lot. Pull up beside of it. We will be waiting for you. Do not exit the truck. Got it?"

"Got it, drive to Georgetown Waterfront Park and look for a blue van and wait beside it." Amanda repeated to make sure Lee heard the instructions.

"Okay, we'll expect you there within 30 minutes. Remember, do not get nosy and look in the back of the truck Victoria."

"Oh, I won't. I'll be there shortly."

Amanda hurried back to the truck and slipped on the uniform. She then climbed into the cab of the truck and headed out to her destination.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee had positioned himself at the docks the night before. At exactly 4am, he saw the boat come into the harbor and 3 men quickly unloaded large crates and put them in the back of a white truck that said Abbott's Moving Company on the side. They had a hard time fitting all the crates into the truck because they seemed to be leaving room for something or someone but they finally managed to and shut the back door. Lee noted that there seemed to be room for 2 or 3 people to ride in the back of the truck. A scruffy looking man got into the cab and drove the truck a few feet away from the docks and parked it. Lee knew that he was waiting for Amanda to arrive.

Amanda arrived on time and followed orders. Lee was glad that the wire seemed to be working perfectly. He could clearly hear Amanda as she talked to the guy in the cab and he was able to hear her repeat back Larisa's instructions. Billy and Lee had agreed that an agent would wait at Anacostia park in case Larisa sent someone there to impersonate her so Lee cautiously pulled out and headed to Georgetown Waterfront Park while Amanda put on the uniform.

As he was driving to the meeting spot, he suddenly heard Amanda say "Lee, I hope you can hear me. I'm going to the Georgetown Waterfront Park to meet them."

He pulled into the entrance and immediately saw the blue van off to the side. He pretended to be just another tourist and picked a parking spot that was nearby but far enough away that he wouldn't draw suspicion. He had borrowed a car from the agency since Larisa knew his car. He opened up a newspaper and pretended to be reading it. About 15 minutes later, Amanda drove into the parking lot and pulled up beside of the blue van. As she was instructed; she stayed in the truck. Lee watched Larisa and 2 other men get out of the blue van and go Amanda's truck. They opened up the back and stepped inside. He couldn't see what was going on and Amanda's wire wasn't strong enough to pick anything up but a few minutes later Larisa jumped out of the back and closed the doors leaving the other 2 in the back while she got into the front with Amanda. Amanda handed Larisa the packet that the man had given to her and Larisa opened it and took a look at the documents inside. She didn't share any of it with Victoria but did say "This looks good. This all looks very good."

Victoria looked at her and waited for her to explain herself but she didn't.

After pushing the papers back inside the envelope, Larisa said "Well Victoria, everything looks good. You have done well so far. Let's head north, shall we?"

"Sure. Where am I going?"

"Just drive, I'll tell you when to turn."

"Still don't trust me" Victoria asked in a cheery voice. Before Larisa could answer, she said "Edward always tells me it is because I'm too nice. If I was meaner, people would trust me but since I'm nice they don't. It's okay though. I trust you and that is all that matters."

"Do you always ramble so much?" Larisa asked.

"Was I rambling? I didn't notice that was I was rambling. Edward always tells me that I'm rambling when I begin to ramble so I don't pay any attention to myself when I ramble."

"Can we PLEASE just ride in silence for a bit?" Larisa asked.

"Sure. If you want to ride in silence, we can do that."

"Thank you!"

Larisa soon had directed Victoria onto the highway and they were headed into Maryland. Lee had been following behind while making sure at least 6 cars were between them. Billy had already sent several agents into VT to await the ferry arrival from Plattsburg NY. Lee had decided to follow the truck in case Larisa decided to do something to Amanda along the way. He chuckled even though it wasn't really funny about Amanda rambling to Larisa. She did it without even realizing she was doing it. He had noticed that she rambled even more when she was nervous. As long as she continued to follow orders, he felt confident that Larisa would continue to use her. At least she had stayed in the truck when Larisa told her to. That was a big achievement for her since she never did for Lee.

Lee continued to tail them into Maryland. They stopped in a small town and went through a coffee shop drive through. Lee was tempted to do the same but was concerned that something would get in the way and he would lose sight of them. He continued to nurse his coffee that he had bought earlier that was stone cold.

He couldn't believe that it was so quiet in the cab of the truck. No one was saying anything. They got through Maryland with no problems. The state of Delaware flew by too and a few hours later they were crossing into New Jersey.

"Larisa, I think we need gas" Victoria suddenly said.

"I swear that you are the most indecisive person I have ever met. We either need gas or we don't need gas. Which is it?"

"I'm sorry. We need gas. I'm down to a quarter of a tank."

"Fine, pull off at that truck stop up ahead."

Amanda took the truck stop's exit and pulled up to the first available pump.

"Now get out and pump the gas but don't try any funny stuff."

"No, No, funny stuff."

Victoria got out of the truck and began pumping the gas. She couldn't help but notice that Lee had pulled into the parking lot as she was busy pumping the gas. He made a motion for her to stop looking at him so she turned back to the gas pump. She never noticed one of the men leave the back of the truck. She did notice him as he crept up to Lee's car. If she yelled to warn him, it would alert Larisa that she knew him. The man had changed his clothes and was wearing a police uniform. He knocked on Lee's window and motioned for him to get out of the car. He soon had Lee spread-eagled over the hood and after looking around quickly; he used his gun to slam Lee on top of his head. Amanda started to cry out but quickly recovered her cover. The man holstered his gun and put Lee in the trunk of the car. During all that time, no one had arrived at the gas station so no one else saw what happened. The man then walked back to the truck and walked over to Larisa's window where he told her that he had just taken care of a tail that had followed them out of DC. She thanked him and he got back into the back of the truck just as Amanda finished filling the tank. Amanda looked back at the car Lee was in and wondered what she should do. At this point, she had no choice; she had to pretend that she didn't' see anything. She got back inside the truck and waited for instructions. Larisa had a big smile on her face as she told Victoria about how one of her men had just taken care of a nosy man who was following them.

"Why would anyone be following us?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know but when he wakes up, he is going to have one heck of a headache" She said.

"Is he still alive?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. He won't bother us again though. Okay, turn right out of here and let's get through New Jersey and then we can stop and have lunch."

Amanda began driving but risked one quick look back at Lee's car. She was truly on her own now. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she began driving back onto the highway. Somehow she had to get word to Billy but right now, she could see no way for that to happen. No way at all.

 **TBC**


	42. Chapter 42 - The Goose Laid a Golden Egg

**Chapter 42 - The Fat Goose Laid a Golden Egg**

Larisa decided that by Trenton, NJ, everyone needed a break so she instructed Victoria to pull off at a little diner. They all went inside and the two men sat at one table near the door so they could watch the truck while Victoria and Larisa sat at another table. After they placed their orders, Larisa told Victoria that she was going to make a phone call but warned her that the two men would be watching her so she should continue to behave. Larisa went to the back and found the payphones. She pulled out a piece of paper that she written a number down on and called it. She then deposited the amount of coins in the phone that the operator told her to and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes, Lee Stetson please."

"I'm sorry, there is no one by that name here" The lady said into the phone.

Larisa consulted her paper again and found the code that Carew had given her.

"The fat goose has laid a golden egg and the angry green giant wants to take it away." She said into the receiver.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson is out of the office right now; can his supervisor Mr. Melrose help you?" Mrs. Marston said after she was given the recognition code of the week.

"Yes, please hurry." Larisa said with a tone of desperation in her voice.

"Melrose here" Billy said while wondering who this was since they knew an inside code.

"Mr. Melrose, I don't have much time to talk. My captors will be back any minute. My name is Larisa and Lee Stetson knows me. He has been working with me to get me to safety."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. What can I do for you?" Billy motioned for Francine to pick up the call.

"Lee had promised to meet me at noon today so that I could go to a safe house but while I was on the way to our meeting place, 3 men jumped me and put chloroform against my nose until I passed out. I woke up in a dark room. I managed to jimmy the lock and I'm using their phone but I'm guessing they will be back any minute. Please Mr. Melrose, you have to help me. Can you get word to Lee so he can come and save me?"

Billy tried to act like he believed her and said in an excited voice "I can send Lee right away. Do you know where you are?"

"I seem to be in a cabin in the woods. There is a mailbox outside that says 46 Winter Street. Please hurry. OH NO, they just drove into the driveway. I have to go. Please tell Lee to hurry" She said as she slammed the phone down.

"Wait" Billy tried to stop her so they could complete the trace on the call but it was too late.

Francine hung up the line while shaking her head at Billy's questioning look about the trace. "It wasn't long enough she said "Wow, she is quite the little actress, isn't she?"

"Yeah and she has Amanda. Let's hope Lee is keeping Mrs. King safe."

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

At the truck stop parking lot, Lee slowly opened his eyes and tried to figure out where he was. It was very dark and his body seemed to be folded in half to fit in the space. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized he was a car's trunk. He pulled the emergency rope that allowed the trunk to open and found his eyes blinded with the mid day's sun light. He squinted as he looked for any sign of Amanda. The Moving Van was gone and so was Amanda. Lee felt his stomach drop as if he was on a roller coaster ride. Then he remembered the wire and ran back to his car to see if he was still close enough that he could pick up any communication from Amanda. The wire's range was only about 10 miles and he knew before he checked that there would be little chance that they were still that close. His worse fears were confirmed when he listened and heard only static. Larisa had Amanda and no one was there to protect her if Larisa snapped and believed that Amanda was betraying her. He could only hope that Amanda could somehow pull off this con until they got to VT. He ran into the truck stop so he could call Billy. It was time to get more agents on the road. He should never have insisted on being the only one following the actual truck. He had to find Amanda and he could only hope he wasn't too late.

 **TBC**


	43. Chapter 43-The Gang is All Here - Almost

**Chapter 43 - The Gang is All Here - Almost**

Everyone finished their lunch at the diner and then headed back out to the truck. Amanda soon pulled the truck back onto the highway as per Larisa's instructions. She wasn't sure about the range of the wire she wore but when she had gone into the ladies room, she had quickly looked down into her bra and told Lee that they were in Trenton. She doubted that the wire was capable of that kind of range and besides, Lee had been knocked unconscious. As she was later driving, she let her mind wander to seeing him be hit over the head with the gun. She could only hope that he was okay. He was always so quick to point out the he was the professional but it seemed like he got into a lot of trouble when she wasn't there to watch his tail.

It was around 5pm when Amanda was instructed to pull into a Motel 6 parking lot. Larisa told her to stay in the truck while she and one of the men went inside to get rooms for the night. The other man came to Amanda's window and leaned against the truck while he smoked a had noticed a phone booth across the street and had hoped to run over and call the agency quickly so they could check on Lee but now that wasn't possible.

Larisa came back out and got into the truck. The two men climbed back into the back and Larisa instructed Amanda to drive around to the back of the hotel. She had her park the truck off to the side and then told her to get out.

"Pete, I want you and Tom to take turns guarding the truck tonight, okay?"

"Of course Larisa. Anything you say" Tom said.

"I'm going to show Victoria to her room and then we'll be back out in a bit to go meet up with a couple of more helpers and have some dinner."

Larisa grabbed Victoria's arm and guided her to room #204. Once they were inside, she went over and unplugged the phone and put it in a bag that she had brought in with her. "You won't need this" She said.

"You really don't trust me, do you?"

"Honey, I don't trust anyone but myself. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

"So you will be staying in this room with me?"

"No, this is your room. There will be another woman joining you shortly who you will share it with but I have my own room because a friend will be joining us soon and he will stay with me."

"Who is the woman who will be sharing my room with me?" Victoria asked.

"Her name is Priscilla Scott and she lives in New York. She wanted to be in on this adventure so I invited her down. I don't really know her though; she was suggested as a helper to me by an acquaintance of mine. We'll be meeting her shortly along with a man that I know you know. His name is Ted."

"Ted is here?" Victoria asked. She couldn't help but think that maybe she could let Ted know about Lee and he could get word to the agency.

"Yes, Ted is the main reason I agreed to hire you. He was very supportive of you and I have friends who have known Ted for a long time." Amanda knew that she was talking about the bartender. She could clearly see why it was important to have the right contacts and back story when setting up a sting because it was the only way that Ted was able to get them this far. She wondered why he decided to risk his life for this cause though when he wouldn't get anything personally out of it. She would have to ask him later.

"Okay, well I'll give you 5 minutes to freshen up and then I want you to meet us outside, okay?" Larisa asked.

"Yes, thank you."

Larisa walked out of the room with the bag that carried the phone and closed the door behind her. Amanda went into the bathroom to see if there was a window and found that the only windows in the whole room were the ones near the front door. She used the facility and checked out her makeup and then walked back outside. They all got inside the truck and Larisa had Victoria drive to a nearby Denny's. Pete agreed to guard the truck and Tom said he would be out shortly with some food for him both.

Inside the Restaurant, they ordered their food and as soon as it arrived, Tom headed out to eat with Pete. Larisa led the way to a corner booth and found Ted and a beautiful brunette woman talking and waiting.

"Ted! It's so good to see you" Larisa exclaimed.

"The pleasure is all mine." Ted said as he got up and gave her a hug. He then turned to Victoria and took her hand in his and kissed it. "Nice to see you again Victoria."

"It's nice to see you too Ted."

"Oh, let me introduce my friend here. This is Priscilla. We were just getting acquainted."

"Hi" Priscilla said. "Thank you for including me in all of this. I hope I can be of assistance."

"Please set down" Ted insisted so they all took a seat.

"Honey, I heard that you have some friends at the border. We need your help to get our truck through the border crossing. Can you help us out?"

"Yes, I can definitely help with that. The border guards are always looking to make a few bucks and then they become blind for a few minutes. As long as you are willing to pay them well, there will be no problems."

"Great, that is what I like to hear." Larisa said.

Victoria sat quietly and listened but she was also checking out Priscilla. It was hard to believe how much she looked like her. She had almost the exact same hair style and was about the same height and weight. They could almost be doubles. At least she knew Lee wouldn't be attracted to this woman. What? Where did that thought come from? She wasn't sure but it opened back up her worry about Lee. She wished she could get word to the agency so they could check on him. She knew that Ted was her only hope for that but she needed time alone with him. Since Priscilla would be in her room, she doubted she would have much opportunity for telling him anything.

"Victoria, you are awfully quiet." Larisa's tone brought Victoria back to the present. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, no second thoughts. I'm just enjoying my dinner while I listen to all of you."

Larisa looked at her for a moment as if she was trying to determine if she was being honest or not. Victoria smiled at her and raised her glass of iced tea up as if she was toasting them all. "Here's to a successful mission"

No one else joined her but they did all grow silent. Victoria wasn't sure what she did wrong so she went back to concentrating on her food.

When they all finished eating, they headed back to the hotel Ted drove Priscilla over in his car. Larisa suggested that Victoria show Priscilla their room and let her get comfortable. It was nearly 8pm at this time so everyone decided to call it a night. Larisa suggested that Ted help Pete and Tom with guarding things.

As Victoria prepared for bed, she sized up her roommate. Was this a Russian operative too? She just wasn't sure but she knew she didn't trust her. Victoria slipped into her bed and curled up into a ball. She didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly but she did. It was about 3 am when she awoke. Priscilla had turned off the light but Amanda could see her in the moonlight. She was fast asleep in the other bed. Amanda quietly slipped out of her bed and tip toed to the front door and quietly opened it as she watched Priscilla to make sure she didn't wake up. She began to sneak out the door and suddenly hit a wall. She whipped her back to the front door and found herself up against Pete.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

"I just was going to get some air." She answered. Pete stood aside so Victoria could walk outside He lit up a cigarette as she walked around for a few minutes and then smiled as she walked back to her room. There was just no way to get word about Lee with these people guarding her so tight.

 **TBC**


	44. Chapter 44 - Busted

**Chapter 44 - Busted**

While Amanda had been sleeping, Carew had arrived. He had checked with the front desk to see what room Larisa was in and then went to the room and knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Your lover man." He answered. She answered the door and put her arms around his neck as her lips met his and their tongues twined together. After passionately kissing where others could see, Larisa pulled him into her room. She had done this scene purposely to make sure everyone knew they were involved. She had already decided that she might need that information later to help her when she got rid of the fool.

They made passionate love over the next hour and then laid in bed together. She had put her head on his chest and could hear his heart beating. She at least did enjoy sex with him but she had begun to tire of him.

"So how did it go at the airport?"

He suddenly got animated and said "It was beautiful. You should have been there. The handler didn't have a clue on how to do a drug search and just like you said, the dogs went after dog treats instead of drugs. In the end, the agency scrapped the whole thing. I was supposed to work tomorrow but I told Billy that I wasn't feeling good and was going to take Saturday off. I just couldn't bear to be without you any longer. They both kissed again. He then asked "So did everything go smoothly this far?"

"Oh yes, Victoria has done a good job so far. Ted and Priscilla were both at the meeting place. Everything is fitting nicely into place."

"That's great. So what is the plan for tomorrow?"

"We are going to lay low here. We can't go to the border until Sunday when they will have less coverage. It'll just take us a couple of hours to hit the border from here so we'll head out around 4am Sunday morning."

"What happens to all these people?"

"Baby, you know they can't come with us. Just you, Pete and Tom will continue over the border. The rest will be left behind. I'm sure I can count on you to help me with that task, right?"

"Oh darling, anything for you." Carew said as he began kissing her again. "Anything for you."

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

At 6am, Victoria was up and showered. She hadn't slept well the rest of the night and hoped that she would be okay since she usually needed her sleep. As far she knew, they would be heading out soon to get to VT so they could cross the border on Sunday. That had been the plan that Larisa had told her anyway.

This time when she stepped out of the room, Tom was sitting in a chair outside. He was asleep but awoke as soon as he heard the door creak. "Good morning Victoria" He said.

"Good morning Tom" She responded back.

"The word is that we are all going to breakfast at 8am. Can I do something for you in the meantime?"

"No, that's alright. I was just coming out to enjoy the sunrise. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"No, not at all . It would be nice to have company."

"So how long have you known Larisa?" Victoria asked.

"About 6 months. I was a security officer at the mall and she asked me if I wanted a job that would make me a lot of money. I couldn't refuse her offer. I asked her if she could use another hand and got Pete the job."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

"No, I probably shouldn't ask. She would get angry with me."

"I like you Victoria. I like you a lot. I won't tell her your question." Tom ran his hand through her hair and then leaned over and brought his lips to her earlobe where he gently began nibbling it. "Maybe after this is done; you and I could get together. You are a very beautiful woman. I'll bet that you are an animal beneath the sheets."

Victoria blushed but allowed him to continue as she knew to stop him would cause a problem. He began raining hot kisses down her cheek and into the nape of her neck. She finally pulled away and said "Do you know what you are transporting?"

"Of course. Don't you?"

"Not really. Larisa said that it was valuable though."

"Well inside that truck is a whole slew of terrorist style weapons that are probably worth about a million dollars on the black market." Tom told her.

"Wow, really?"

"Really. Pretty exciting huh? Not nearly as exciting as you are though." Tom said as he started to try to kiss her.

"I should probably go back inside and make sure Priscilla is awake." Victoria said.

Tom sighed and said "Okay. I'm a lonely man Victoria. I just know you could help with that loneliness. After this trip is over, I'll take you out to dinner and show you just what a lonely man can do."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds wonderful." Victoria said as she hurried back into her room.

Meanwhile just as she got up; she faced Larisa's room. Carew had come outside to get some air. As he stood there, he looked over and saw the woman get up. Was he imaging things? No, he was sure he wasn't. He had seen her picture enough and had seen her from a distance. He rushed back into Larisa's room and hurried to her bed.

"Larisa, why is Amanda King here?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The woman in the other room is Amanda King!"

"That's not possible! Which woman? There are two women staying in that room. One is Victoria Greenwich and the other is Priscilla Scott. "

"Wait a minute. Victoria Greenwich? You didn't tell me that you brought on a woman named Victoria Greenwich. You just said Victoria. That name sounds familiar. I vaguely remember some operation that Scarecrow did where Amanda posed as a woman named Victoria Greenwich. You've been had!" Carew said smugly. "The problem is that if Amanda King is here, Scarecrow is not far behind!"

"Are you telling me that Victoria is with the agency? That stupid, weak woman is actually a housewife playing spy. You have to be sure Rob. I need to know. I want you to check out this Priscilla person too. Meanwhile, I warned this woman not to cross me. No one crosses Larisa and lives." Larisa stormed out of the room while Carew picked up the phone and dialed the agency. He asked Mrs. Marston for Agent Davidson.

"Davidson here" He answered.

"Hi Shaun. I need a favor."

"Sure Buddy. What can I do to help?"

"I need to do a background check on someone and I'm in a rush for it. Can you help me?"

"Of course I can. I still owe you for covering for me when I cheated on my wife."

Carew smiled. He loved when he had blackmail information so he could use it against the other agents. He quickly gave Shaun the information about Priscilla and then asked him if he had seen Amanda King lately. Shaun thought for a moment and then said that both Amanda and Lee hadn't been around for a few days but he would check on their whereabouts. Carew thanked him for the information and hung up the phone after telling him that he would call him back in an hour.

He stood up and looked towards Amanda's room. He really hoped that Larisa would let him kill her. After all, she had become Scarecrow's partner instead of him. It would be nice to be the one responsible for finally making her go away. He would have to ask Larisa when she cooled off if he could have that job. Actually the more he thought about it, the more he didn't need her permission. The only thing that would make him happier than killing Mrs. King would be if he could make Scarecrow watch. He started pacing as he wondered just where Scarecrow was. Now that he had arrived, it was time for him to take over this mission. First he would get rid of Mrs. King and soon after he would finally be done with Lee Stetson and then Larisa would belong completely to him. Carew couldn't wait.

 **TBC**


	45. Chapter 45 - A Killing We Will Go

**Chapter 45 - A Killing We Will Go**

Larisa had gone for a walk to cool down. What was happening here? Maybe she had underestimated the Scarecrow after all. She had planned this right down to the smallest detail. How did this simple woman manage to fool her? Larisa was better than that. Where was Scarecrow? Surely he didn't leave this simpleton to do the whole job for him.

As her walk continued, she continued to think. Did she have a mole inside her operation? How did Lee Stetson find out anything about this operation? Here she thought she was leading him astray and he was likely playing with her the whole time. She would get even with him now if it was the last thing she ever did.

In fact, she would kill them all when this job was done. For now, she needed them all to finish the job though. Yes, for now, they would all live but once they were safely over the border, she would personally take care of all of them. No one had ever betrayed Larisa and lived. She wasn't about to start a new trend. They all must pay and pay dearly.

Having made that decision, she headed back to the hotel room. As she entered, she heard Carew on the phone with the agency.

"So Priscilla Scott's real name is really Shelly Glasglow and she is a NY agent? Wow, interesting. No, no, I just came across some information about her and wasn't sure if it was true or not. No, it wasn't true. Thanks for helping me find that out. Oh yes Amanda King, what did you find out? So she and Scarecrow are on just another assignment but no one is talking about it? Okay, well I guess that makes sense. Was I looking for her? No, I have never met her but I heard all kinds of people talking about her so if she was on duty this weekend, I was going to pop in for a moment and meet her. No, no problem, there will be another time, I'm sure. Well I have some errands to run so I should get going. Yes, you have a great day too."

Carew hung up and looked at Larisa who he knew had heard the whole conversation.

"So we kill both of them." He said with conviction.

"No" Larisa stated.

"NO?! You heard me, they are both agents. They have to die. Baby, they are poison to us. He stood up and tried to hold her but she pushed him away.

"Don't you understand that the longer they are left alive, the more opportunity for the agency to find us. Do you understand what that means? If they catch us, I will end up in jail for probably the rest of my life and you my dear will be deported immediately and refused reentry here plus lose your immunity status. We have to kill them!"

"I'm still in charge here and I say when we will kill them and if we will kill them. Do you understand?"

"It's stupid to leave them alive. Don't you understand that? I know you have the hots for Scarecrow but he is dangerous." Larisa slapped Carew hard across the face.

"You bitch" He said as he slammed out of the room.

What was happening here? Larisa wondered. No one had ever questioned her authority before. She felt like she was losing control. She let out a deep breath to try to get her emotions back in check. She decided that the best thing to do was to take a shower and calm down. She let the hot water beat down on her for 15 minutes and then came out and got dressed. Carew had not returned and she regretted slapping him. He was an idiot but she needed him right now. It was time to at least get everyone fed. She stepped outside and let her eyes adjust to the bright sun and then heard a squeal. She looked over at the vehicles and saw that Carew was shoving both Amanda and Priscilla into the blue van that he had driven there from the docks.

"CAREW" she yelled but he looked quickly at her and said "You will thank me later" and jumped into the van and peeled out of the parking lot. Tom and Pete saw the whole thing and Larisa raced over to them and said "Follow him" as they all piled into the truck.

Carew had gotten a head start and had a smaller vehicle to weave around the traffic so they were a bit behind him but the blue van stuck out in this small neighborhood so they were able to follow him. He took them on a chase for 15 minutes that ended on a deserted country dead end road. As Larisa and the boys pulled up, she could see that both women had been made to stand next to each other and before Larisa could get out of the truck, his gun fired and one of the women fell down. "CAREW" she yelled again as Tom flew out of the truck and tackled Carew; forcing him to the ground. As they struggled for control of the gun, Larisa came up and pointed her gun at Carew's head and fired. Carew was killed instantly.

Larisa looked over at the two women and saw that one was cradling the other. The woman who had been shot took her last breathe and then laid still.

"Come on, let's go." Larisa said.

"Are you just going to leave her there? The woman asked with emotion in her voice.

"She's no good to me now."

"Can't we at least bury her?" The woman asked.

Tom went over to her and gently put the dead woman's hands on her chest. He closed her eyes and looked at her with such sadness. Then he quickly grabbed her and dragged her a few feet away where there was some brush laying around. He covered her with it. He couldn't help but think what a waste that such a beautiful woman would be killed in this manner. He was glad that Carew was dead because otherwise, Tom would have killed him himself and he wasn't a murderer.

"Happy now Miss Spy? Yes, that's right, I know all about you and about your friend here. I don't like being betrayed but I was going to let you both live until my mission was done. For now, you get to live but don't try anything stupid because you will end up just like her. I have killed before and I'm not afraid to kill again. Let's go!"

Pete and Tom jumped into the blue van while Larisa got into the passenger side of the truck and motioned for the woman to get in. She held a gun on her the whole time. They slowly drove back to the hotel.

"Now I'm not going to be able to hold a gun on you in public but you know I have it on me. I know you think that you are some smart spy but I have been in the business a long time and I won't tolerate any games from you. We are going to finish driving to the border and deliver this truckload to my contact. You are going to be my driver and get us there in one piece or else I will make you wish you had never met me. Do we have an understanding?" The woman nodded her head since she didn't have any other choice and soon they were back at the hotel.

Larisa told her to go pack up all the belongings of both women in the room and to be out at the truck in 20 minutes. As the woman headed for the room, she couldn't help but think that no matter how long she had worked for the agency, she would never get used to the random killing that bad people did. The woman had no idea that her roommate that night had been a spy too. She could only hope her death didn't result in a family and children being left alone. .

 **TBC**


	46. Chapter 46 - An Update

**Chapter 46 – An Update**

"Billy, It's Lee."

"Where the hell are you man?" Billy asked.

"At a truck stop just over the New Jersey border."

"Is Amanda still near you?"

"No, I lost her."

"What? How did that happen" Billy asked.

Lee let out a long sigh and said "It's a long story but one of the goons snuck up to my window dressed as a cop and made me get out of the car. I didn't know he wasn't real and before I could show him my badge, he slammed me over the head with a gun."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, but they have Amanda. Have you heard anything?"

"Larisa called here a few hours ago and pretended to be kidnapped. It's pretty obvious that she is trying to use you as her alibi."

"I guess my only choice is to head to VT and wait with the rest and hope that somehow Amanda kept up her cover and is still alive."

"No, don't do that Lee. Continue on the route they were taking. My instincts are telling me that VT might be another mislead."

"You think so? What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I think Larisa likes playing games and this might have just another one to see how many would show up in VT and maybe to do another loyalty test. She might have people in that area checking to see who shows up asking questions."

Lee ran his hand through the back of his hair and said "Okay, I'll continue in the direction they were heading. Oh and tell Leatherneck that he needs to start working on a longer distance for those wires."

"Yeah, I hear you. Oh by the way, we didn't find the drugs at the airport. An inexperienced dog handler showed up. Your buddy Carew seemed to know that things were going to happen that way too."

"Big shocker, there." Lee said sarcastically. "Did we alert the authorities in Munich?"

"Of course. Okay, I know you want to get moving after Amanda. Call me in the morning and let me know what's going on, okay?"

"Of course! Maybe you will have heard from Amanda by then too."

"We can only hope." Billy said as he said goodbye to Lee.

Lee ordered a cup of coffee to go and then headed back out to the car. It was going to be a long night and he would need the caffeine.

 **TBC**


	47. Chapter 47 - The Phone Call

**Chapter 47 - The Phone Call**

Lee continued to drive as long as he could mostly just from pure adrenaline brought on by worrying about Amanda. He couldn't imagine being the one who had to deliver the news to her Mother and boys that she was killed. He had to somehow get to her before Larisa made it to the border. If she took her across the border, it would be nearly impossible to track her down in time because he would have to contact the Canadian agency and get through the red tape to continue the chase. Lee felt that Larisa really didn't need Amanda once they crossed the border anyway. If he could keep driving and they stopped for the night, maybe he could catch up with them by morning.

The miles slowly slipped by and Lee found himself being hypnotized by the monotony of the drive and because he had been up so early to be at the docks. Soon he began nodding off. He tried to fight it by turning on the radio and then opening his window so that the cold air would make it uncomfortable for him but it was just too much and finally at 2am, he decided he needed to pull over and get a nap before he did completely fall asleep at the wheel. He found a 24 hour truck stop just outside of Albany and pulled into their parking lot. Most of the lot was lit up with street lights but he managed to find a semi dark area and curled up on the front seat and almost immediately fell asleep.

It was nearly 8 am before Lee awoke. He noticed that he parked near some phone booths so he made his way over to one of them and called the agency.

As soon as Billy answered the phone, Lee asked "Any word on Amanda?"

"Good Morning Lee. Where are you?"

"Just outside of Albany. I had to pull over and sleep before I wrecked the car."

"I'm glad you got some sleep. I was worried you would continue driving. No, we haven't heard anything from Amanda. I believe your contact Ted was meeting last night with them too, wasn't he?"

"He was supposed to. This isn't looking good Billy. Damn It, where is she?" Lee demanded.

"Calm down Lee! It won't do you any good to get all upset. She's a smart woman. She will be fine."

At that moment, Francine knocked on Billy's door. "Come in!" He shouted.

Francine came in with a sheepishly looking Shaun Davidson behind her.

"I've got Lee on the phone Francine. Can't this wait?"

"No and you should put Lee on speaker phone because he needs to hear this too."

Billy checked the connection to speaker and then said "Okay, talk."

"Sir, I had no idea that Mrs. King was undercover or that they were on a mission that was secret."

"So what happened?"

"Sir, I'm really sorry. I owed Agent Carew a favor. I had no idea that he might be a bad agent. He's a friend. He started at the agency before I did. He taught me the ropes. He had my back. I had no reason to distrust him. None, Sir. I would never have told him if I had known."

"What did you tell him!?" Billy demanded.

"Sir, I told him that Priscilla Scott was an agent in New York whose real name was Shelly Glasglow and I told him that Amanda was on an assignment with Scarecrow."

"OMG Billy. Carew must be there. No one but Ted and I knew that Shelly had gotten access to Larisa and was going with them. Billy, if he has spotted Amanda, he will blow her cover. He doesn't know her but he knows what she looks like. Amanda is as good as dead right now and it is all my fault! I have to find her Billy. I have to."

The phone went dead and Billy said "Scarecrow! Scarecrow. Damn it. Francine get this man out of my sight. I will figure out later what to do with you."

For the first time in a long time, Billy Melrose felt as helpless as a new born baby. If Amanda was dead, he would lose Lee forever, he knew that with complete certainty.

 **TBC**


	48. Chapter 48 - A Body Found

**Chapter 48 - A Body Found**

Jared and Michelle Brooks heard gunshots early that morning. Even though they lived in somewhat a country setting, no hunting was allowed around the area and definitely not on their property. When they heard the first shot, they were surprised but they dismissed it until they heard the second shot.

"Call the police" Jared yelled to his wife as he ran out the door and began running across his lawn and headed for the dead end road.

"Please be careful Jared" Melissa yelled to her husband. Sometimes she wished that he wouldn't get involved in things like this. Whoever was shooting could decide to shoot him.

Jared was not in very good shape so he had to stop along the way a couple of times to catch his breath but he got to the road just as a blue van and moving truck went flying past him. He wondered what they were doing. Jared cautiously began walking up the road and saw where the tracks had stopped. He noticed that the tracks led off the road on the left hand side so he began walking on that side. He saw the man's body almost immediately since no one had moved the body. He walked over and found that he was dead. As he looked around the area, he saw that there was a patch of grass near a tree that seemed to be soaked in blood. He quickly walked over to the spot, knelt down to look at it more closely and then touched his fingers to a spot of red. Jared knew immediately that this was indeed blood.

As he was rose back up, he suddenly heard sirens and two police cars pulled up into the area.

"Put your hands where we can see them." One of the officers said from the car.

Jared raised his hands and said "Sir, this is next to my land. My wife was the one who called you. My name is Jared Brooks."

"Do you have id to prove your identity?" The officer asked.

"Yes, it is in my pants pocket."

"Take it out slowly and throw it to me" The officer further instructed.

Jared did as he was told and the officer picked it up and looked at it and then lowered his gun. "He's okay boys." He said to the others.

"Sorry about that. We had to be careful. I'm Officer Leonard. So what's going on here?" the officer asked.

"No problem Officer." Jared said. "I'm not sure. We heard gunshots and knew that something was wrong. I arrived just as a blue van and a moving track took off out of here quickly. There were two shots fired and obviously one of them killed that man. I just noticed this little spot of grass that appears to have blood on it."

"Did you disturb anything?" the officer asked.

"I didn't touch the man but I admit that I did touch the grass to see if it was blood or not and I believe it is. I haven't disturbed anything else."

In the meantime, the other officers had gotten out of the vehicles and were walking around.

"Hey Dan, I found something" one of them yelled to Officer Leonard. "What did you find Keith?"

"Come see for yourself." Keith responded. They all rushed over as Keith pulled off some brush that had covered up a woman's body.

"Oh my God" Jared said.

"This isn't pretty." Dan said. "Why don't you go home?"

"I'm okay. That poor woman."

Keith had put gloves on and looked in the woman's pockets. He found a wallet and opened it up to see if he could id the body. Inside there was about $20 in cash and a note that simply a phone number in case of an emergency. He then searched the man and found that his name was Rob Carew. His wallet contained just under a $1000 in it. Whoever killed him was definitely not after his money and didn't seem to care about him since they had done nothing to cover his body.

Keith went over to his car radio and called the dispatcher. He gave her the number and told her that he would wait.

"Billy Melrose here" The person who answered said. The dispatcher patched the call so the Keith could talk.

"Sir, this is officer Card. I'm calling you from Albany, New York."

"What can I do for you officer?" Billy asked.

"Sir, I have a young woman who has been murdered who has your number in her wallet to call."

"Do you know who she is?"

"There isn't any id on her person but she had this number in her wallet to call if there was an emergency."

"What does she look like?" Billy asked.

"Hang on, let me go get better details." A few minutes later

he got back onto the radio and said "I would say she is about 5' 6" or so, has brown hair that is about neck length, brown eyes and probably weighs around 115 - 120. Quite honestly I would have to say that she was a very beautiful woman. It is sad that someone shot her."

"Oh my God!" Billy exclaimed.

"Sir?" Officer Keith asked. "Do you know who she is?"

"Yes, I think I do. She is a civilian that we use sometimes on cases?"

"Cases sir?"

"Yes, this is a Government Agency."

"Oh, I had no idea. Well Sir, we are going to bring her to the Morgue. Do you want to send someone for her or how do you want to handle it."

"I have a man going through that area soon. I know he will want to positively id her. He should be checking in soon. Can he call you to make arrangements?"

"Yes" Keith gave his number to Billy and then asked Billy if he could have the man's name and the information on his vehicle because the State Police could keep an eye out for him. Billy knew that Lee was so upset that he might not check back in for a while and might actually drive past Albany before he heard from him so he agreed and gave the officer the information. Keith took Billy's information and then asked "Sir, do you know a Rob Carew?"

"Yes I do. He works here too. Why?"

"Sir, he is dead also. His body was near the woman's. Will this man of yours be able to id him also?"

"Yes he can. He worked with him."

"Thank you sir. We'll be in touch. They said goodbye and hung up. Afterward, Keith used the radio to call for an ambulance and then to put out an alert for Lee Stetson.

Meanwhile, Jared had finished giving a statement. As he looked back at the body, he said "Such a shame that such a beautiful woman was killed. I wondered what she did for someone to murder her like that."

"I know" Said Dan. "We might never have found her without your help. At least we can search for her family and let them know."

"I guess that is a good thing but so sad. I hope she didn't leave behind any children. Okay, well my wife will be worried so I'm going to go home. Do you need anything else from me?"

"No Sir. Thank you again Mr. Brooks." They shook hands and Jared headed home. The ambulance was pulling in as he started to cut through the woods to get onto his property.

The Ambulance attendants quickly bagged both bodies and loaded them into the ambulance and then they headed for the morgue. The officers spent the next hour combing the area for clues so they could bring justice to this poor woman. There wasn't a lot to go on though. Sadly, they worried that this might end up being one of those unsolved mystery murders. They soon wrapped it up and headed back to the office to await the phone call of the person who might know her. Maybe he could give them some clues.

 **TBC**


	49. Chapter 49 - You Need to Come With Me

**Chapter 49 - You Need to Come With Me Sir**

Lee had hurried back to the car after he hung up on Billy. He tried to stay under the speed limit but hurried as quickly as he dared. His mind raced with worry about Amanda. He should never have let her get involved. These cases were just too much for a rookie. He should have gotten Francine to disguise herself and taken this one. "Damn it" He exclaimed as he slammed the steering wheel. It just wasn't fair. If Carew got her killed, Lee knew that he would find a way to kill him. Amanda didn't deserve that and her family sure as hell didn't either.

Lee had crossed into Albany without even noticing. He hadn't eaten a decent meal in a while and he really wanted to pull off and get coffee since he still didn't want breakfast but every second might count. He was so absorbed with his thoughts that he never even noticed the blue lights that came on behind him. He continued driving until about a minute later the car's siren began blaring. Lee looked behind him and saw the police officer and swore again as he pulled over. If this cop wasn't real, he was not going to ever stop for a police officer again.

The officer hurried over to Lee and asked "Are you Lee Stetson and work for Billy Melrose?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

"I'm sorry sir but you need to follow me."

"What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing Sir."

"Why am I following you then?"

"Billy Melrose has told us that you can id a woman for us."

"What woman am I identifying for you?"

"I'm not sure sir, I'm was just instructed to bring you there."

"Bring me where?"

"To the Morgue sir."

Lee's heart dropped out of his stomach.

 **TBC**


	50. Chapter 50 -- Positive ID

**Chapter 50 – Positive ID**

Lee began following the Police Officer to the morgue. "Oh Amanda. I'm so sorry. It should be me there, not you. As soon as Larisa changed the rules of the game, I should have stopped this. I can't believe that you are gone. How am I ever going to tell your Mother? Your boys? Damn it, I was supposed to keep you safe." Lee slammed his hand down onto the steering wheel and then continued "Some hotshot agent I turned out to be. First I let Eric down and now you. I'm so sorry." Lee said all of that out loud and found himself choking back the tears that were threatening to fall. If it was the last thing he did, he would make Carew and Larisa pay for this. Then if he didn't end up in jail, he would quit the agency. He knew Billy would be upset but maybe it was time for him to get out of this job. Maybe his prime time was done and he was a washout. Amanda's death would haunt him forever.

They pulled up to a brick building that read County Morgue on the front. The officer led him inside and asked him to sign in at the front desk. He then motioned for him to go through a metal detector. Lee pulled out his gun and car keys and laid them in a tray and then walked through with no issues. The officer gave him back his gun and keys and then led him to the basement where the new arrivals were brought. After speaking to the guard, he brought Lee into a cool, dark room.

"Sir, are you okay?" The officer noticed that Lee looked as white as a sheet.

"Not really but it has to be done."

The officer pulled the drawer out and Lee looked at the woman lying there. He felt his knees give way as he fell to the floor.

"Sir, do you need a moment?" The officer asked.

"No, I'm okay. I'm okay." Lee stood up and walked back to the young woman and said "I'm sorry Shelly. I hate that you are dead and I hope you forgive me but I'm so thankful that it isn't Amanda lying there."

"You know her sir?"

"Yes, she was a friend. She was an agent stationed in New York. She was a really good agent too. Her name was Shelly Glasglow. I don't think she even has any immediate family as her parents both passed away a few years ago from cancer and Shelly never married so there isn't a husband or any children. Can I use your phone so I can call Billy?"

"Yes Sir but you aren't done yet. We have enough body for you to id."

"What?!"

"Yes sir, your boss said you knew this person and could positively id the body."

Lee forgot to breathe as he found out there was a second body. Did Carew kill Amanda after all? He began shaking as the Officer stepped to a different area and pulled out the drawer. There laid Agent Carew. "You Bastard!" Lee exclaimed while at the same time being relieved that it was him. "You are lucky you are already dead because if you had killed Amanda, I would have killed you myself."

"Sir? Can you id him?"

"Oh yeah, this Bastard's name is Rob Carew and he is the scum of the earth and deserves to be there unlike that lovely young woman over there. Are we done here now?"

"Yes Sir. You can use the phone at the front desk to call your boss."

"Thank you." Lee slipped out of the room and leaned up against a wall. He had to take a minute to get his emotions under control. He had been so sure it was going to be Amanda's face that was revealed when the sheet was pulled back. The whole experience had been so emotional that Lee had a hard time holding back tears while the bodies were being revealed. His uncle's words were cut deep into his soul though; "grown men don't cry." The problem now was to find her. Where the hell was she? He took a deep breath and then headed for the front desk.

"I was told I could use the phone." Lee said to the secretary.

"Sure gorgeous" The young blonde girl said as she handed the phone to him. Normally he would have checked her out, but at that moment, his mind was far from thinking about another woman. He began dialing the phone and Billy answered almost immediately.

"Melrose" He said into the phone.

"Billy, it isn't Amanda" Lee sputtered out.

"Oh Thank God!" Billy said. "Did you know the woman?"

"Yes, it is Shelly."

"Oh No!"

"Yeah. She was shot Billy. It looks like Carew did it but someone shot him too. Have you heard anything from Amanda?"

"No, nothing."

"I'm going to tell this place that someone will be in touch to transport the bodies and then keep heading to the border. I wish I knew how far ahead they are. I'm going to get going Billy. I'll be in touch soon."

"Okay, be careful and bring Amanda home safe."

"I'll going to try!" Bye Billy.

"Good luck Lee!"

Lee hung up and gave the Agency's information to the secretary so they could make plans to bring the bodies back to D.C.. He then rushed out to his car. He needed to catch up with Larisa before she could get Amanda over the border or else the next body could be hers.

 **TBC**


	51. Chapter 51 - Setting the Trap

**Chapter 51 – Setting the Trap**

Since Pete and Tom had things under control, Ted had gotten some sleep in one of the benches outside the hotel. Before he fell asleep, Carew had pulled into the parking lot and Ted had witnessed the big passionate display that Larisa had with him when he entered her room. Ted couldn't help but wonder if she did that to show that she was involved with him in case anything happened to him.

When he woke up, he found the group gone including both vehicles. At that time, he had no idea about all the excitement that he had missed so far that morning.

Ted got up, yawned, stretched and then went to the office and asked if any of them had checked out yet and found out that they had not. The desk clerk had not seen any of them that morning even though there was free coffee and pastries available in the lobby. Ted helped himself to a cup of coffee and a Danish and then went outside and took a seat to wait for them to come back. About an hour later, the two vehicles pulled in and Ted observed Amanda and Larisa get out of the truck while Pete and Tom got out of the van. Larisa spoke harshly to Amanda and then both women headed to their rooms while the guys began moving the crates from the moving truck into the blue van. Ted threw away his coffee cup and napkin and headed over to help.

"Where have you guys been?" He asked as he approached them. "Where is Priscilla and that other guy that arrived last night?"

"It was crazy man. He shot her and then Larisa shot him and"

"Shut up Pete."

"Why shouldn't he know?" Pete asked.

"He could tell someone." Tom answered.

"Who am I going to tell? So Priscilla is dead?" Ted asked as he tried to keep the sadness and anger out of his voice.

"Yeah man. He was going to shoot the other lady too but Tom here saved her."

"Wow!" Ted said.

"Yeah Crazy right?"

The men finished moving the crates between the two vehicles. Then Tom got into the moving truck and drove off with it while Pete followed behind in the blue van. Ted considered trying to call the agency but decided that since two people were already dead this morning, it wouldn't be a good idea to alert any suspicions from Larisa. He had thought about trying to use the payphone last night but Pete had seemed to be watching him like a hawk so he knew he would be notice if he had tried to sneak away to use a phone.

The two men pulled up in the blue van just as Larisa came out with her bags and went to the office to check them out. A frightened looking Amanda came out and headed for the van. The men stored all the bags in the trunk of Ted's car and then Larisa came back out.

"Did you hide the truck well?" Larisa asked them.

"Yeah, no one will find it for a while." Pete answered.

Okay, so it turns out that our friend here is not who she said she was." Larisa said to all of them. "Let me introduce to you a Mrs. Amanda King. Amanda and I will be in the blue van and I want you three men to go together in Ted's car, okay?"

"Sure, whatever you want Larisa." They all said at once.

"Well I was going to stay overnight here but considering how things developed today; we will continue to Plattsburg now. I would suggest that no one else betray me if you want to live. I don't take kindly to betrayals as some of you have witnessed. Let's go!"

Larisa pushed Amanda towards the van and motioned for her to get into the driver's side. "Well Mrs. King, we will have to get to know each other all over again but this time, you will be telling me the truth, right?"

Amanda nodded as she climbed into the van. Larisa directed her onto the highway and Amanda noticed that Ted's brown Wagon followed behind them.

"So you work with the great Scarecrow"

"Yes, I'm sorry Larisa that I have upset you. I am not an agent. I just help them out sometimes. I do a lot of their typing and light office work and sometimes they ask me to go on these cases like this one. I really have no idea what is really going on. I was just doing my job. I'm just a civilian who has 2 small boys at home. Their names are Jamie and Phillip and they are only 8 and 10 and well I would hate for them to grow up without their Mother."

"Guess you should have thought of that before you took this assignment. So tell me, do you do this work just so you can be close to Scarecrow. He is a fine looking man, isn't he?"

"He's okay."

"So Lee hasn't bedded down with you yet Dear? Trust me, he is well worth the roll in the sheets. You are pretty enough, I can't imagine why he wouldn't have taken you to his bed. He couldn't wait to get me into it a few years ago. Too bad you won't live long enough to try him out. Here this whole time I thought I was fooling him and it turns out I was the fool. Well you are still his partner. I think it might be fun to have him be the one who kills you."

"You could let me go. No one would need to know and I don't know who your contact is or where you are actually heading. You could just dump me off on the side of the road so that I would have to walk for miles to get back to town."

"You are either very smart in trying to con me or very dumb that you think that I'm that dumb. Just drive. Stop talking, You annoy me with your rambling. I have to think about how all of this is going to work now that I have lost 2 people."

The van got eerily silent. After they had driven for about an hour, Larisa told Amanda to pull into the next truck stop. After both vehicles had stopped near a phone booth, she motioned for Pete to come stand guard on Amanda. He stood by her door and smoked a cigarette.

Larisa walked over to the phone booth and dialed the phone.

When Mrs. Marston answered on the other line, Larisa said "Okay, let's not play games. I have your Amanda King and I want to talk to Billy Melrose. Almost immediately Billy was on the line "Larisa, don't hurt her. She's just a civilian."

Larisa laughed into the phone and said "She already tried that one on me. She works with Lee Stetson. She knew what she was getting into. Now the only one missing from this party is Lee so why don't you tell him to meet us in Plattsburg NY. There will be a Motel 6 there. I'll be waiting."

Before Billy could respond, she had hung up."

Larisa walked back to the van and got in and then dismissed Pete who went back to the car.

"Well Mrs. King, I just told your partner where he can find us. It really is too bad that I have to kill both of you. I had really hoped to enjoy some more wild sex with him. Carew always got so jealous of him but it was understandable because Carew didn't have the talents that your Mr. Stetson does. Such a waste that he wouldn't switch sides years ago. We could have made a great couple together."

Amanda couldn't help but shudder a little inside. This woman clearly needed meds. Now Lee was going walk right into a trap and unless Ted could somehow alert him, there was nothing she could do.

 **TBC**


	52. Chapter 52 - Welcome to the Party

**Chapter 52 - Welcome to the Party**

Lee continued to drive through Albany and decided as he was about to leave the state that he would check in with Billy again to see if he had heard anything. It turned out that Billy had just talked to Larisa and was able to pass on the information to Lee about where she expected to meet him.

"Lee, it is obviously a trap. Be careful!"

"I will. Are you keeping the agents in VT just in case this is another misdirect?"

"I'm not sure where she intends to enter the border. She might still be planning on VT but she might go up through Plattsburg too. It's your call Lee, should I send them to help you?"

"No, keep them there just in case. I'll handle this."

"Okay, good luck Lee. Call me and let me know what is going on, okay?"

"Yeah." Lee said as he hung up.

Lee jumped back into the car and drove the nearly 150 miles to Plattsburg in less than 2 hours. As he neared the Motel 6 parking lot, he decided to go by it fearing that an ambush was waiting for him. He noticed that there was only about a dozen cars in the lot. As he swung around into the back lot, he immediately noticed the blue van that had DC plates on it. He knew right away that this was the van that Amanda had met when she brought the moving van to meet Larisa and her men. Larisa probably didn't realize that he had been following at that time. Suddenly he realized that if Amanda was still wearing her bra; he might be able to pick up something so he turned on the transmitter and then pulled off in an Arby's lot that was just beyond the motel.

Almost immediately he started hearing their conversation.

"Your partner should be here shortly. So I'm wondering who the man was that was with you when I first met you. Was that all a set up too? It was, wasn't it? I can see it in your eyes. Don't try to lie to me Mrs. King because you are an awful liar. So if that man wasn't Edward, who was he?"

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity and then "Oh my God, that was Lee! I can't believe it. He played me for a fool that whole time and I fell for it. Carew warned me that he was good at his job and I misjudged him. Well that will make killing him so much more fun. He likes to play games, we can play games. Cat got your tongue Mrs. King? Oh, that rag in your mouth makes it so you are finally quiet? Well you bore me. I'm going to go talk to the boys. I want to make sure they know what is going on and to update them about Edward. So I'm sorry those ropes are so tight but I wouldn't want you to try to leave before the party is over. We are all going to have such a fun time. Don't go anywhere, I will be back soon."

Lee heard the door close and then what sounded like Amanda struggling with the ropes. How was he going to figure out which room she was in? He exited the car and walked as normal as possible to the Motel back parking lot. He looked around for any signs of Larisa or any of the men but no one seemed to be around. Lee ducked behind some bushes and tried to figure out his next move. As he was looking at the motel, he saw it. At first he thought he was mistaken but Amanda knew that he would need to know where she was so she did the one thing that had worked in the past; she planted an object outside to alert him. A headband that had to be hers was draped on a tree just outside of one of the rooms. Lee used the bushes for cover as he got as close to the motel room as possible. After checking the area again and seeing no one around, Lee ran quickly to the door and knocked.

"Amanda, are you in there?" He asked.

There a muffled reply that was unmistakably Amanda's voice. Lee took out his lock pick and quickly got access to the room. Amanda had been placed in a chair and was bound from head to feet to it. There was a piece of cloth stuck in her mouth. He rushed to her side and removed the rag first.

"Lee, you have to get out of here. This is a trap for you; she's going to kill you. She's been telling me that you were involved with her at one time and now she feels betrayed by you **.** She has come up with some horrible way to kill us both. You have to get out of here now, before she comes back."

Lee had been working on the ropes while Amanda rambled. Whoever had tied them, had done a good job of knotting them which was making their removal a slow work in progress.

"Lee, did you know that Carew guy? He took both me and some woman named Priscilla out into the woods. He kept saying how we were both agents and we were going to mess everything up. Then he made us stand side by side and Lee, he shot that woman. He was going to shoot me next but Larisa shot him. Oh Lee, these people are truly sick people. I tried to tell her that I just help out but she wouldn't listen to me. I saw that they hit you on the head with the gun back in New Jersey. Lee, are you okay? I tried to do everything she told me to do just like you said I should. I kept trying to figure out how to get word to the agency about you but they have been watching me the whole time." Amanda finally took a breath and then confessed "Lee, I'm scared."

Lee had finished the last knot at that moment and he quickly pulled her to her feet and hugged her while rubbing her back. "I know, I know. I had a hard time finding you. Your bra stopped talking after 10 miles." Lee's little joke got a small chuckle out of her and he knew she would be okay. "Let's get out of here before they come back."

The door swung open at that moment and Lee found them facing an irate Larisa who had a hand gun pointed right at Amanda's head.

"I'm back! Why Lee, you wouldn't want to leave this party so soon, you are the guest of honor after all. We have been waiting for you."

 **TBC**


	53. Chapt 53- Confronting the Past & Present

**Chapter 53 - Confronting the Past and Present**

Larisa stood very smugly in the doorway of the motel room as she pointed the gun at the great Scarecrow. "Why don't you both go have a seat on the bed? It was so nice of you to follow your boss's directions and you found us pretty quickly too. You know Lee, your partner here admits that she never slept with you. I told her that she missed out on a great opportunity. I had so hoped to rekindle what we had. Too bad you are so loyal to your government." Larisa came into the room and shut the door behind her.

"We never had anything Larisa. I was a young, stupid punk kid who liked adding notches to my bedpost. Just another one night stand." Lee responded as He helped Amanda sit next to him on the bed.

"Really Lee? I don't believe that. You enjoyed that night as much as I did. That is; until we realized we were on opposite sides."

"Believe what you want Larisa. You know that Amanda is just a civilian though. You have me, why don't you let her go?"

"Why does everyone keep telling me that? I already know she is your new partner. No, the game that I have in mind for you needs two players. We wouldn't want you to play all alone, now would we?"

"What kind of game are you playing now Larisa?"

"Well I know how much you like gambling Lee. I mean, you even disguised yourself as Edward so you could go to the casino without me knowing. Oh yeah, I figured that one out too. The whole time I thought I was fooling you and it turns out that I was the fool. No one makes me out a fool. You should know that by now Lee."

"Like you said, we are on different sides Larisa. You know this job is nothing personal."

"It was personal to me Lee. Besides, if it isn't personal to you, then you won't be upset if you are the one who kills your precious partner. After all, it is only a job, right?"

Lee glared at her but kept his tongue.

Larisa opened up the motel door and said "Tom, Pete, can you come here please."

"What do you need?" Tom asked as he walked into the room.

"I need you and Pete to tie them both up. I think it would be best to spread eagle Lee on the bed just to make sure he can't use any hidden tools to get himself untied and then you can tie Mrs. King back to the chair."

Tom and Pete took care of securing both of them and then stepped back. "Anything else?" They asked.

"What happened to Ted?" Larisa asked.

"He seemed shook up after the death of that other woman. I think he is out at his car taking a nap."

"He's pretty useless, got to get rid of him soon." Larisa muttered under her breath. "Okay, well I need the two of you to take turns watching them. I don't trust them, either of them. I need to go track down my contact and confirm the time that we will be crossing the border."

"What's going to happen to them?" Tom asked.

"We will take care of them in a few hours. Unfortunately for them both, they won't be crossing the border with us." Larisa said as she opened the door and left the room.

Tom walked over to Amanda and kneeled down so he could look her in the eyes. "Are you really an agent?"

"Not really, I just help them out sometimes."

Tom reached up and moved Amanda's hair out of her eyes. Without her headband, her hair had a mind of its own.

"Leave her alone!" Lee yelled from the bed.

"Shut up. Mind your own business, the lady and I have some leftover things to discuss and take care of." Tom spat back.

"Lee, it's okay" Amanda said in a voice that sounded much calmer than she felt.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Tom asked.

Amanda blushed and said "Oh no, I'm not sleeping with anyone."

"Well there's still time for us Baby" He said as he lightly stroked her cheek with his hand. His fingers stole their way down to her mouth and he traced her lips with them. As he bent over to kiss her, Lee erupted on the bed. He made so much noise that Larisa came flying into the room. "What is going on in here?"

"Nothing, I was just trying to have a conversation with the lady and he went all crazy on me."

"Go outside Tom. I knew you have been wanting her and as much as I don't care if you have your fun with her, I need her for more entertaining activities in a little while. Send Pete in and he can guard them while you keep watch outside."

Tom glared at Lee and then looked at Larisa as if he was going to challenge her but then changed his mind and went outside.

"So you keep talking about this final game of yours Larisa. Let's get it out in the opening, what do you intend to do with us?"

"Why Lee Stetson, the curiosity is killing the cat? Well you know the old saying that Life is One Big Gamble, I think we should test that out. After all, you are a gambling man. I can't imagine anything more of a gamble than a nice fun game of Russian Roulette. The only question is whether to let you hold the gun to your own head or whether I'm going to have you hold it to Mrs. King's head first. Oh well, maybe we will roll a dice and figure it out that way. Okay, behave yourselves, I'll be back in an hour and then we'll go find a nice spot to play our little game. Isn't it so exciting? I have always wanted to play this. I'm sure you both will be great participants." Larisa left the room again.

Lee found himself staring at Amanda while wondering if she understood what Larisa had in mind. He could tell by the fear in her eyes that she definitely did.

 **TBC**


	54. Chapter 54 - All Fun and Games

**Chapter 54 - All Fun and Games Until Someone is Shot**

After Larisa left, Pete made himself comfortable in a chair in front of the door. He then closed his eyes with the intentions of just resting but about 20 minutes later, he began snoring. Amanda looked at Lee and said "How are we going to get out of this one?"

"I'm not sure. I'll think of something though."

"I was hoping you would tell me you had plan."

"No, unfortunately not this time. I didn't realize that she had feelings for me. It was just a one night stand."

"Uh huh." Amanda said flatly.

"Amanda, it was. I was in my early 20's and I met her in a bar. One thing led to another and she ended up at my place. As soon as I realized she was the enemy, I made her leave. It meant nothing to me."

"Oh I know. They never do. She doesn't seem your type though."

"What's my type?"

"For one thing, she isn't blonde."

"Yeah, well she was that night."

"Oh, that makes more sense."

"Amanda can we focus on how to get out of this instead of my sex life?"

"I wasn't the one who brought it up."

"Amanda!"

"Okay, okay. She's probably going to come back any minute now."

Lee sighed and said "I know. I think we are going to have to wing it again."

"Really?"

"Well it sort of worked the last time. Just follow my lead when she gets back, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. I had no idea you spies were so notorious for 'winging it" though."

"Oh Amanda." Lee said just as the door opened back up and smashed into Pete's chair. Pete jumped to his feet with his revolver drawn and ready to shoot someone. Larisa yelled "Pete, it's just me. You apparently fell asleep. I expected you to watch them, not sleep."

"I'm sorry Larisa, I was just resting my eyes."

"Sure you were. Never mind. Get Tom in here and untie them and let's get them into Ted's car."

"Did you find Ted?"

"Yeah, he fell asleep in his car but he's waiting for us out there now. I swear I don't know why I'm paying you 3 if you only want to sleep."

Pete and Tom quickly untied Lee and Amanda and shoved them through the door while warning them that they had guns aimed at their backs. They tied Lee's hands behind him and shoved him into the very back of the station wagon and then made Amanda sit between them in the back seat while Larisa got into the front seat with Ted.

Pete kept his gun aimed at Amanda while Tom had his aimed at Lee. Larisa instructed Ted to start driving. She soon had him turn off on a deserted road and continued down it until it dead ended. There was a small clearing and she said "Bring them over to the clearing. Ted, you keep watch to make sure no one followed us."

Tom and Pete pulled Lee and Amanda out of the car and then began shoving them to the clearing. Larisa had a second revolver in her other hand. Tom and Pete made Lee face Amanda and stand right in front of her.

"Okay, kids so here is how I have decided this little gambling game is going to work. Lee, you will go first. I have 1 bullet in this gun. I will hand you the gun and you will spin the cylinder and then place the gun up to your lovely partner's head and fire. It will be a wonderful game of chance as to where the bullet is. If she lives, then she gets to do the same to you. Doesn't that sound like so much fun? I know! Can you believe that I have always wanted to try this game? It is so nice to have two competitive people to play it with. I can't wait to play, how about you?"

"I won't do this" Lee said.

"Oh sure you will. See we will go 2 rounds unless someone is shot in the meantime and after 2 rounds, if you both survive, I will let you go. However, if you don't play, I will shoot you both right now and you won't have any kind of chance. See, I'm a fair person."

"Oh yeah, that sounds fair. So what happens if one of us is killed?"

"Then I will take the other's place to do the shooting but of course won't participate in the part of being shot at. Are we ready to begin?"

Lee shrugged at Amanda. At the moment, he couldn't see any way out of this. If they didn't participate, she would kill them anyway. He had to go along with this in hopes of figuring something out to save them both. He sighed as he took the gun that Larisa handed him. Amanda stood in front of him looking defeated. If he got out of this, he would kill Larisa himself.

"Go ahead Lee. We are waiting. Your luck as Edward was horrible, maybe it is better now."

Lee took a deep breath, spun the cylinder and then aimed the gun at Amanda's head. He slowly pulled the trigger and there was a loud boom as the bullet did its damage and the body fell to the ground."

 **TBC**


	55. Chapter 55 - You Tried to Kill Amanda?

**Chapter 55 - You Tried to Kill Amanda?**

Lee was in shock as he watched her fall to the ground. He could tell by the damage that she was dead before she even hit the ground. What an absolute waste. She had been such a beautiful woman. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by Ted as he was saying "Drop your guns boys. Don't try any funny stuff if you want to go home alive. Lee, are you okay?"

"What the hell just happened?" Lee asked.

"Larisa was enjoying herself so much that she forgot all about me. Since all eyes were on the two of you, no one heard me get close enough so I could shoot Larisa."

Finally Lee took his eyes off the body of Larisa and looked up at Amanda.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure Amanda?

"Yeah, I'm okay." She said but he could tell she wasn't. She had seen too many killings in the past couple of days. Before he could do anything to comfort her, several unmarked police cars pulled up. Lee realized right away that Sam and Frank were 2 of the policemen who got out and shielded their bodies with the car doors.

"It's okay guys." Lee yelled out. "Everything is under control."

The police slowly closed their doors but kept their guns out. Lee walked over to Frank and Sam and said "Wow, you came all the way up here?"

"Yeah, Mr. Melrose called the chief after Ted got word to him and our Chief asked us if we wanted to come up and of course we did. Is she really dead?"

Ted had gone over to the body to check it out and said "Yes, she's dead. I didn't really mean to kill her but I had to act fast when Lee began to shoot Amanda so I didn't take time to aim well."

Officer Sam asked Lee "You tried to kill Amanda" as he clenched his fists.

Lee swiped his hand through the back of his hair and said "She was making us play Russian Roulette with each other. I hadn't figured out a way to avoid it since she was going to kill us anyway."

Sam began shaking his head. "Well if anyone ever tries to make you shoot Amanda again, I hope you figure out a way to make it look like you shot her and she plays along with it. I know if I had her for a partner, I could never really shoot her."

"Yeah" Lee said and then looked at Amanda with frustration on his face.

Officer Frank interrupted any further conversation and said "Let's get these creeps back to the station and get them booked. I'll call for an ambulance for her body to be brought to the morgue and some drivers to come back and transport the van to the Police Yard for safe keeping until you are ready to go back with it. Sam, why don't you radio the Chief and let him know what happened. He can get word to the agency so they at least know you three are okay."

Everyone agreed and Sam took Amanda in his car while Lee and Ted rode in Frank's car. The other officers had already cuffed Pete and Tom and put them in the other two cars.

They soon arrived at the local Police Department and Lee placed a call to Billy.

"Thank God you are both okay" Billy said when he realized it was Lee on the phone. "Is Mrs. King handling it okay?"

"I think she is in a bit of shock but she's strong Billy so I think she will spring back. It's Christmas though so you can keep her off the cases until after holiday and let her get over everything, right?"

"We'll see. Are you heading back tonight?"

"Yeah, right after we give our statements. It will do Amanda good to be home with her family. "

"Good Idea. Okay, bring her home and then you go home and get some rest. There are new developments coming in about this case shortly so come in tomorrow and the rest might be wrapped up by then."

"What about the guns that they were delivering? Are we going to try to nab the people they are for?"

"I talked to President Reagan and he feels that these people are probably just transporters too and will be a dead end for us and a complete waste of time. We have the guns and that is more important so why don't you have Ted drive the van back here if he doesn't mind since Mrs. King needs a break from it."

"That sounds good to me. I'll see you bright and early in the morning."

"Okay, drive safe."

"We will" Lee said as he hung up.

As he walked back to the front desk area, Amanda had just returned from giving her statement. Lee went into the room she had just left and gave his. She had been able to tell them where to look for the white moving van so they had already let the area police know and they were out looking for it. Meanwhile Ted had finished his statement and had come to sit with Amanda. She was still very quiet and seemed to be a little in shock. She leaned her head against Ted's chest and he had put an arm around her shoulder and was trying to comfort her. When Lee came out of the room and saw them sitting together, he felt some sort of reaction to it but immediately dismissed. It almost felt like jealousy but he wasn't involved with Amanda so that didn't make any sense.

"How about we get you home to the boys and Mother?" Lee asked as he entered the room.

Amanda immediately sat up and said "We can go? I can go home now?"

"Yes!" Lee said as Amanda got up and flew into his arms and gave him a big hug. When she realized what she had done, she quickly backed away and he could see that she was blushing a little as she said "I would like that."

"Ted, do you mind driving the van back? Billy asked if we could bring it back to the agency now instead of having to send someone back for it."

"Sure no problem Lee."

"Should we stop along the way and get some food?" Lee asked.

"I'm really not hungry Lee. I just want to go home." Amanda quickly replied

His voice softened as he said "I know, let's go."

 **TBC**


	56. Chapter 56 - Good to Be Home

**Chapter 56 - Good to Be Home**

Lee and Ted drove through the night while Amanda dozed off and on. Lee couldn't help but be a little worried about his partner. Wait? Partner? Yes, he mused, she really had become his partner. It was hard to believe it and he sure would never tell her that he felt she was about as brave as anyone who had been at the agency for a while. He originally had thought she would only be good for helping keep him current on his paperwork but the last few cases had been pretty dangerous and she hadn't backed down from them. As he took his eyes off the road again to check her out, he realized that this case might have gone too far. She barely knew him and yet she had stood there, waiting for him to shoot at her and she seemed to trust that somehow he would get her out of this alive. He didn't want to know if the bullet had been in the chamber so he had turned the gun over to Frank at the scene and told him not to tell him. He shuddered at the thought that he might have killed her. If he had pretended to shoot her and missed, Larisa would have killed her anyway. He was pretty sure that Amanda wouldn't think to act like she had been shot. He would have to work with her in case anything like this happened again. He hoped that he never had to deal with anything like this again though.

He arrived at Amanda's house around 1 am. He parked a block away just in case her Mother happened to watching for her even though Dotty had no idea this was the night she would be coming home. He would have the agency pick up the car from the storage unit in the morning and drive it over. Amanda could tell her Mother that it had been in the shop and they delivered it.

"Amanda?" Lee said quietly. She moaned in her sleep. "Amanda, you are home."

Amanda slowly picked her head up as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked around. "Thanks Lee."

He quickly told her his plans for her car and told her that Billy was giving her some time off.

"Now you listen to me Amanda King, what you just went through can affect even a seasoned agent. We have people at the agency who can help you if you find in a day or two that you aren't being able to let it go, okay?"

"I'll be okay. I just need to be with my boys."

"Okay, but you just remember what I told you okay?"

"Sure" Amanda replied.

Lee looked at her for a moment and realized that there was no point in arguing with her right now. She looked exhausted. He got out of the car and helped her out of her side.

"Will you be okay to walk to the house?"

"Lee! I'm fine. Good night"

"Good Night Amanda and you did a great job."

She looked back at him; surprised at the too seldom words of praise for her work. His face, show he was completely sincere so she said "Thank you."

Lee watched to make sure she made it inside okay and then he got in his car and headed for his apartment.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee went to the agency as soon as he showered the next morning.

"Coffee?" Billy asked him as he walked through the door. After putting a little cream into it, they headed for Billy's office and Francine followed.

"So I hear you almost had to shoot our favorite Housewife." Francine started but was told to "can it immediately."

"Francine make yourself useful and bring Lee up to date."

"Okay, well we did discover that the whole airport dog search had been set up to be a failure. It seems that the owner of the kennel enjoyed a night of passion with Larisa and agreed to provide untrained dogs and an untrained handler. Meanwhile the drugs were right under our noses."

"They were? Where?"

"Well that day there were a bunch of crates that were labeled with a Crematorium's name on them. When those crates hit the airport in Munich, their dogs went crazy about them. A scan showed that they were filled with what appeared to be ashes and remains but by doing a thorough investigation, we discovered about 10 million dollars' worth of cocaine hidden among the ashes. It was bagged by had been made to look like it was just more ashes. "

"Wow, that's a lot of drugs."

"Yes it is, One of the biggest drug busts so far. Oh and they found the Moving truck right where Amanda thought it might be. Last night they began combing it for evidence and came across a packet. It looks like Larisa left it behind by accident because it was a letter of introduction to her Canadian contact and it was obvious that they had no idea who to expect so one of our female agents went up with a few men and arrived this morning. They had alerted the Canadian Police and all of them were able to quietly arrest the group that had been hired to meet Larisa. Last I heard, they are so scared of their punishment that they are singing names and information pretty loudly." Francine continue.

"That's great news!" Lee exclaimed.

"Great job team. Oh and I have more good news. We were able to find an Uncle of Shelly's who will be handling all the funeral arrangements and burial."

"I'm glad. She was a great agent and someone I have known for a while. She didn't deserve that at all." Lee said.

"I know" Billy said quietly and then said "It could have been Amanda."

"It almost was."

"Francine, I need to talk to Lee alone, do you mind?"

"No, one of your boy talks, I'm sure. I have work to do." Francine said as she left the office.

"Lee, about Amanda." Billy started and Lee interrupted him. "Give her a couple of days Billy. She needs some time."

"Did you offer the agency psychiatrists?"

"Yeah, I did. She's convinced that just being around family will help and she will be fine." Lee said as he swiped his hand through his hair.

"You care about her, don't you Lee? Wait! Now before you go denying it, I know you are trying not to care about her because of being hurt so many times but I can see it. And my guess is that it is scaring you too."

"BILLY!"

"Go ahead and deny but deep down you know the truth."

"I think you have a great imagination my friend. You can't afford friends in this business and you know that as well as I do."

"Okay, well go take the rest of the day off. You've earned it."

"Thanks, I'm going to take you up on that.." Lee said as he walked out to the elevator. Billy watched him go. When he hired Mrs. King, he knew she would be good for Scarecrow. He never thought she would be able to sneak into his heart this quickly though. She was a good woman so hopefully she could continue to chip away at that stone heart of his. He watched as Lee stepped into the elevator, then he shook his head and sat back down at his desk because he had work to get done.

 **TBC**


	57. Chapter 57 - Finding Her Way Back

**Chapter 57 - Finding her Way Back**

Amanda had gone to the kitchen and heated up some milk as soon as she got home. Her Mother heard her and came downstairs. "Amanda is that you?" She asked.

"Yes, it's just me Mother."

"How come you are coming home so late at night" Dotty asked.

"Mr. Putney just got back from Africa." Amanda said quickly.

"Wow that was a short trip."

"Yeah, it turns out that the Africans weren't much interested in trying to breed blue and yellow giraffes. I'm tired Mother, I'm going to bed." Amanda said as she yawned, put her glass in the sink and then kissed her Mother on the cheek and headed upstairs.

Dotty stood looking off into the distance and then finally said "Blue giraffes? What's next a purple ape?" Dotty chuckled at her own joke and headed back to bed.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

The next day Amanda got up. She hadn't slept the best and found herself trying to block out the image of 3 different people being killed in front of her along with the image of Lee pointing a gun at her. It wasn't his fault and there seemed to be no way out of it but it had definitely been a little scary that Lee almost had to kill her. What if the bullet hadn't been there though and Larisa made her take the gun to shoot Lee. She couldn't have done it. Oh sure, he drove her nuts sometimes but deep down, she could see his soul. She could sense that something had happened in his past that made him guard himself but he was slowly starting to treat her better and seemed to enjoy being around her. At least he wasn't telling her to quit the agency anymore but should she? They were lucky that Ted was there and that she was able to take Larisa down but who would be there next time? If she quit though, wouldn't she miss it? Miss Lee?.

As she was thinking, she had gotten dressed and had walked down stairs. She walked by her Mother without even noticing she was there. As she pulled out the makings for pancakes along with a dozen eggs, a pound of bacon and a package of sausage. Dotty observed all of this and finally said "Dear? Are you okay?"

"What do you mean Mother? I'm fine."

"You look and act like you are a million miles away." Dotty told her. "You know; the boys missed you."

"I missed them too. I'm just a little down this morning Mother. I'll be fine."

"Missing Fluffy already, huh?" Dotty asked.

"Who?" Amanda asked

"Fluffy? Dotty answered. "You know, the cat you were housesitting with."

"Oh yes, of course I'm missing him. What else would it be?"

"Him? I thought you said that Fluffy was a girl."

"Oh, you know Mother when they get fixed, you can call them a boy or you can call them a girl. Some call them an it and I don't think that is very nice so I forget what she was before she was fixed."

"Amanda, darling; I mean this is none of my business; but you really seem off. Don't you think you should go out and get some air on this beautiful day and maybe it will help clear your mind and act more normal."

"You know Mother, that might be just what I needed. Thank you!" Amanda quickly hugged her Mother and then headed out the front door.

Dotty stared after her and said "Glad I could help Amanda. Oh let me put away all this food for you Amanda. No problem dear. No, I don't mind."

Amanda had forgotten that she didn't have her car until she was outside. She was relieved to see that Lee had the agency drop it off so early. She had decided that what she needed most of all was to focus on happy things. So it was time to go Christmas shopping. She loved Christmas. Her dad had always made it so special for her. She drove to the mall and began looking through the various stores. She found herself staring at all the wonderful Christmas displays in each of the windows. One had a little train that went around a track that circled a bunch of presents. As she walked along to one of the popular Men stores, she noticed a store Santa holding some really nice looking socks. She recalled when she first met Lee, that he had said that a partner would lend you their socks. She giggled as she wondered if that was because his all got lost under his couch. She had seen his apartment enough times to know that he likely could never find his sock. So she decided that if he had enough socks, maybe he could find one for each workday and he wouldn't need to borrow any so she went inside and bought 5 pairs that all looked alike. She mused as she thought about how they would go well with his eyes. It made her smile.

After that, she kept walking and stopped to watch a glass blower that was set outside a jewelry store. She and her Dad had loved watching them and had always made it a habit each Christmas to find one so they could stand and marvel at his talent. Amanda noticed that he must have created a stunning glass heart that has the word Mother hanging in the middle of it so she bought it as a special gift to her Mother. She continued walking and saw a sweater store. She knew how much Mr. Melrose loved wearing sweaters so she stepped inside. There were way too many to choose from especially since his tastes were a little conservative in her eyes. She figured in the end that if he didn't like the one she chose, he could return it. As she began walking by the perfume shop, she stopped to look at the animated elves that were on display in the window. She was about to leave when her eyes noticed a bottle of perfume called Intrigue. She knew that this was a perfect gift for Francine. Oh sure, she wasn't very nice to Amanda but it was Christmas after all. Everyone should get gifts on Christmas. She quickly went inside and purchased it.

As she was leaving the mall, she walked by an office supply store. The mannequins were dressed up in festival clothing and displaying various office supplies. Suddenly something caught Amanda's eye and she knew she had to buy it. She went inside and asked if it could be gift wrapped too. They gladly did it for free and Amanda soon was carrying all her purchases out to the car. She had already bought most of the gifts for the boys as she tried to stretch out her Christmas shopping all year since money was tight but she was surprised at how much this shopping trip had brightened up her mood. Everything still bothered her but she knew it was time to move on from it.

After packing the car, she got in and drove out to see a friend who might need some cheering up. She pulled into a parking spot on the street, put some money into the meter and then walked into the restaurant. She couldn't believe the difference in Burrito World from the last time she had been there. Paul had replaced curtains, repainted, waxed the floor and even bought flower and candles to put on each of the tables. If eating a burrito could suddenly be a romantic date, this was the place to go.

As soon as Paul saw her, his whole face lit up and he rushed over to hug her. "Mrs. King. I'm so happy to see you. Thank you so much for believing in me." Paul said.

"Please, call me Amanda. I'm glad you now believe in yourself Paul. This place looks amazing. You have done an awesome job."

Jerry picked that moment to walk in the front door. "He has done beyond amazing. This is my most profitable store now. People rave about the service, the food and best of all, how great of a manager I have."

Paul was still smiling at the compliments. "I have both of you to thank for all of this. If Jerry hadn't given me a chance, I don't know where I would be right now. I hated my life and I even hated this job. I had such a crummy attitude especially after Dad was arrested. But once I knew it was my one chance to change my life around, I really worked at doing that. Someday, I hope I can help someone else."

"That's right" Amanda agreed. "When life is feeling sad and depressing, you have to look at the good things out there and we have to count our blessings and fight through the sadness. If we see others struggling, we should help them." Amanda realized she was telling herself these words of wisdom as much as to Paul.

"Very true" Jerry said. "Paul, don't forget about the Christmas bonus we discussed. You have earned it and of course we will be closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so you can relax and enjoy."

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, actually I met a girl. Her name is Sara and she's beautiful and she's been good for me. She was the one that gave this place the softer look. She invited me to her parents' house for Christmas."

"That's just great. I'm really happy for you. Oh wait, I forgot something." Amanda said as she hurried out to her car.

She came back inside with the present and handed it to Paul.

"Go ahead and open it. Now that you are business man, you will need this." She said as he opened it to find a brand, new, shiny briefcase."

"Oh no, this is much too expensive" Paul said and tried to hand it back.

"I want you to have it. I'm so proud of you. Keep reaching for the best of everything and it will be yours." Amanda said. "I have to get home. I've been shopping all day so I need to go start some dinner."

"Thank you Mrs., I mean Amanda. I won't ever forget your kindness. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Paul" She said as she hugged him tight. He was exactly what she needed today. He had no idea how much he helped her. As she let him go, she went to Jerry and hugged him also. "Merry Christmas Jerry" She said and then whispered "You did a great job helping him. Thank you"

As Jerry hugged her back he said "Merry Christmas Amanda." He too then whispered "He just needed someone to care and you gave him that. You are a wonderful woman Amanda. Any man would be lucky to have you in their life."

Amanda blushed at the compliment as she pulled out of the hug.

"I'll bring my family in soon so you can meet them. Take care" Amanda said as she headed for the door.

"You too my friend" Paul said with a smile. "Dinner will be on me too."

Amanda walked out to her car and at that moment, she smiled because she knew she was going to be just fine.

 **TBC**


	58. Chapter 58 - Christmas Cookies

**Chapter 58 - Christmas Cookies**

Lee left the agency and began driving. He had so many thoughts and emotions going on that he couldn't get them to stop. Suddenly he realized where he needed to go. In short order, he pulled up at Birchwood. A group of the residents were outside trimming an outside tree with Christmas decorations. Lois noticed Lee first and yelled "It's Lee!" Lois and Glynis rushed over to give him a hug. They then pulled him to the tree and insisted that he help to decorate it. "Ladies, you know I don't like anything to do with Christmas." Lee said as Glynis handed him box of crystal balls.

"Now Lee Stetson, you know that isn't true" Lois said. "I have Christmas cookies waiting for you. I'm sure you won't turn those down."

Lee realized that the ladies were not going to let him get out of helping them. He began putting the balls around the tree as best he could.

"Lee, I need your help" Glynis said as she handed him the Angel tree topper. "You are so tall that you won't even need a stepstool."

Lee reached up and put the angel on top of the tree and everyone clapped. "That looks great" they all said.

"Okay, let's go in and have some punch and cookies" Lois suggested.

"Shouldn't we have lunch first?" Glynis asked.

"Yes, and Lee can sit beside of me." Lois answered. They both took one of his arms and walked with him inside.

As soon as he was inside the dining room, Rupert came running over to him. "Lee, I have to talk to you."

"Is this about the robots?"

"Lee, that's not important right now. I have other things to discuss with you."

"What's wrong now Rupert?"

"Do you know what I saw this morning?"

"No, what did you see this morning Rupert?" Lee asked.

"I was out taking a walk this morning bright and early and this man was standing off to the side of one of the buildings. Then he turned and looked at me for a moment and swaggered into one of the rooms. Lee, ELVIS is here."

"What? Elvis is dead Rupert. I'm sure it was just because it was still dark outside that you mistook a man for being Elvis."

"No I saw him just fine. Elvis isn't dead Lee. He's here. They are hiding him here. It was him Lee. I know it was him. You have to go check it out."

Lee sighed and said "I'll talk to them and ask some questions but I think you are just mistaken Rupert."

"That's what you always say Lee. I know it was him. No one else dresses like Elvis."

"Rupert, Lee is hungry, let him eat." Lois insisted. Rupert went and sat back down at his table but looking at Lee all through lunch. After lunch, Lee went to the office and mentioned Rupert's story.

Maggi in the office started giggling and said "His name is Norman Arnold. He served at the agency for 10 years and had to dress up in different disguises for his job so he still likes to. Elvis happens to be his favorite people to impersonate." Lee chuckled and said "That makes sense. Thanks."

"Hey handsome, want to take me out tonight?" Maggi asked.

"Not tonight. I just got back from an assignment and I'm pretty beat. I'll take a rain check though, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess you are worth waiting for." Lee smiled and gave her hand a squeeze and then said "I think Lois just started passing out her cookies so I have to go." Maggi was a nice looking woman but Lee had too much on his mind for dating right now. He stayed for another hour and chatted with his friends and then said he needed to get going. Lois handed him a bag that had an assortment of her cookies in it and said "You are too skinny. I know you won't treat yourself right during Christmas so at least enjoy my cookies."

Lee kissed her cheek and said "I will. You are too good to me." Meanwhile Glynis handed him a basket full of breads for him to enjoy during the holiday also. Lee kissed her check also. He said his goodbyes to everyone else and then walked back out to his car. As he drove away, he knew where he needed to go first.

He soon pulled into the gas station and was relieved to see Rhonda there. "Hey you, are you okay?"

"Nice to see you Lee. I'm fine. I probably didn't need to panic so much but you never know how much someone knows about you."

"Yeah, I don't think you were ever a target. She's dead."

"I heard."

"What else did you hear?" Lee asked.

"Nothing exciting Lee. I just got back though."

Lee pulled the cookies and some bread out of his car and handed it to her while saying said "Merry Christmas. Thanks for helping me."

"I can't take all of this." Rhonda exclaimed.

"Sure you can, wait until you try one of those cookies, they are amazing." Before she could protest any further, Lee got into his car and drove away. He had one more stop to make.

 **TBC**


	59. Chapter 59 - TAG

**Chapter 59 - Tag**

Amanda got home and found a note from her family saying that they had gone to grab burgers for dinner. She put away all the presents that she purchased so she could wrap everything later and then went into the kitchen to clean up what her Mother hadn't been able to finish. Suddenly there was a knock on her window. She smiled as she realized it was Lee. She let herself out the back door and said "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you. You were pretty out of it yesterday."

"Yeah, I know. I'm okay now. I did some Christmas shopping, visited a friend and became a normal person again." She smiled as she said it.

Lee looked at her in a questioning way. "So that's all it takes; acting like a normal person?"

"I just decided that I wasn't going to stew about it any longer. You did what you had to do. Larisa and Carew were not nice people so I can get over them a little easier than Shelly. Whatever will happen to her Lee?"

Lee softened his voice and said "Her Uncle is coming to claim her and give her a proper burial Amanda."

"Oh, that's good. I'm happy to hear that. It is sad when people don't have anyone in their lives. I can't imagine being without my boys and my Mother."

"Yeah, being along isn't much fun."

It was Amanda's turn to look at Lee but she found that he had erased any emotion from his facial expression even though his voice had sounded bitter.

"So what happens now?" Amanda asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You said that Mr. Melrose was giving me a few days off."

"Sure, that way you can prepare for Christmas and enjoy your family, spend some time with Dave and be all refreshed to come back next year."

"Dean"

"Who?"

"His name is Dean."

"Oh yeah, right."

"I almost forgot, I have something for you." Amanda said. "Wait right there." She closed the door and headed for the stairs. A few moments later she returned with a box and handed it to Lee.

"What's this?" Lee asked.

"The wire that Leatherneck made. He might want to work on distancing."

"Yeah, I'll tell him. Amanda, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Overall, you seemed pretty calm when I was about to shoot you. I mean, I know a real agent would have acted that way. But you don't really have any training. Weren't you worried that I was going to shoot you?"

"Not really."

"No?"

"No."

"How come?"

"You taught me well is all."

"In what way?" Lee persisted.

Because as you stood there ready to shoot me, I remembered your words." Amanda said with a straight face.

"My words?"

"Yes"

"Amanda...what are you talking about?"

"I knew you wouldn't shoot me because you would figure a way out of all that mess and sometimes, well sometimes you just got to wing it." Amanda tried to continue keeping a straight face but then began snickering.

Lee looked at Amanda for a second and said "Oh Amanda!" and then began laughing too. At that moment, the front door slammed and Jamie's voice was heard asking "Mom are you home?"

"I better go." Lee said. He turned to head out to his car and then turned around as Amanda began to go inside.

"Amanda"

"Yeah?"

"It's good to have you back." Before she could reply, he stepped out of her yard and hurried to his car. Amanda stood in the doorway for a moment smiling. "It's good to be back" she said to his retreating back as she hurried in to greet her family.

Fade out

And the Story continues in The Long Christmas Eve

 **A/N - Life sure got into the way a lot while I was trying to tell this story. I appreciate the support that I have gotten throughout. I appreciate reviews a lot and hope that if you enjoyed the story that you will let me know and if you hated it, tell me why you hated it. It makes me feel good that people are enjoying them and I do wonder sometimes why my stories get very few reviewers.**

 **I have another surprise return visitor planned for the next story. Sorry that it is a Christmas / New Year's story being told in the spring but it is SMK so I'm sure my loyal readers won't mind. I have had this one planned for a while so now I just have to write it. Anyway, thanks for going on this adventure with me. I'm having fun with it and hope that you are too.**


End file.
